There's No Place Like Home
by TaquitoEveningStar
Summary: Bella's father is a traveling business man, so wherever he goes, she goes. When she finally puts her foot down to moving, her parents send her to live with the Cullens. She meets six brothers. Edward, the hated one, intrigues Bella and hides a dark past.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Summary:Bella's father is a traveling business man, so wherever he goes, she goes. When she finally puts her foot down to moving, her parents send her to live with the Cullens. However, there are six brothers living there. These boys won't make Bella's stay easy so crazy things are bound to happen! AH,Slightly OOC,OC**

**A/N: Hello! So this is my first fanfiction and I'm kind of new to these type of things.**

**There's No place Like Home**

**BPOV**

I sat on a soft tempurpedic chair as I read my tattered and worn out copy of _Pride and Prejudice_. The sun was out and its warm light poured through the glass window. The song of the birds was a soothing melody that completed my happy place. I smiled as I heard the front door of my house open. Careful not to fall, I took my time getting up and then ran down the stairs to greet my dad (Charlie is what I usually call him).

"Daddy!" I cried out as I flew into my father's arms. "You came home early today. Mom is just out getting groceries."

Charlie smiled and said," There is a reason for me coming home early and I'm pretty sure you know what that is."

My face fell and I turned away from him with my back facing him. Of course I knew why he was home. There wasn't any special holiday today, so that meant…we were moving. _Again_.

I blinked away the fresh tears that were starting to appear as I took in the news. Usually, I would act like everything was fine and go along with it even though it killed me inside. But right now, I felt like I was about to explode. I have grown to love Arizona and for a moment I actually thought this might be a permanent home for me. I also made friends in a higher social class here and I totally knew that Robert Hamilton was going to ask me to the fall dance. So why did Charlie have to choose this time to move? Charlie's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"And you know the best part of it? We're moving out of America to China!"

I could feel the skepticism rolling off of my skin. Was he serious? How could that be exciting for me? Sure it would be nice to take a vacation there, but not live for months there. It wasn't that easy to make new friends everywhere we moved so how could I possibly fit into a school full of talented, artistic, and brainiac teens? I could just picture myself being humiliated in a Chinese school since I couldn't even understand what they would be saying to me.

"Bella, are you alright?"

I took a deep breath dreading my sudden defiance. I was never one to speak how I really felt. "I'm don't want to go." There. Simple enough. I turned around to face Charlie and immediately took back what I said. His expression looked like the Puss in Boots from Shrek, and you must know how hard it is to turn down that face. Fortunately, his face returned to normal and I was able to shake off a little guilt I could feel building up inside my mind.

"But, why? I know this is going to be a big change for you, even bigger than all our other moves, but this is really a huge deal for me. I get a generous raise and I already told my boss I would take it. Plus, he already has our plane tickets, and he even got us a nice house to stay in! And maybe we can all learn a new culture."

His little speech was beginning to get to me. _I'm just being a selfish cow_ is what I thought. I should do this for my dad and mom. Who cares about me.

_You never think about yourself…_

I jumped up, being a little startled by that voice I just heard in my head. Suddenly, it spoke again.

_You have to put yourself before others sometimes…_

I rolled my eyes knowing exactly what was going on. I was having one of those moments where an angel and a devil sat on your shoulder trying to convince you what to do. And right now, the bad side was winning.

"I'm not going," I said in a stern voice. Charlie let out a groan and pulled out a silver cell phone and dialed a number.

"Renee, we need to talk-_pause_

Yes, I did get the job offer-_pause_

Yes, of course I'm happy-_pause_

No, I didn't turn it down. Okay before you cut me off again I have to tell you something. You know that talk we had when Bella was born-mmmhm, yep that one! Well, I think she's finally cracked-_pause_

Yes, I did tell her all the perks- _pause_

No. I don't think she really wants to live out of the states, honey-_pause_

I don't know. I talked to him just yesterday-_pause_

Yeah, he and Esme are still up for it-_pause_

No. I don't know. I haven't told her yet."

I listened to Charlie's conversation that he was having with my mother and had no idea what they were talking about. What 'talk' did they have when I was born? Was it really that inevitable that I would finally grow tired of moving from place to place? Who the hell were they talking about when he said 'he and Esme'? I was relieved when he finally snapped his phone shut and turned to me to explain.

"Your mother was always worried this would happen," he said and paused looking at the floor.

"What would happen?" I asked pressing the subject further.

"That the stress of constantly being _here and there_ would finally get to you." He sighed. "You see, when you were born, we talked about this. We even spoke to our best friends, Carlisle and Esme about me being a successful business man and having to drag you along my side. They made a serious offer to take care of you if you ever wanted to just settle down for a couple years. That was always an option I guess I've never told you about. Renee and I didn't want to impose on them, but Esme made it pretty clear she would love it if there was another girl in the house."

"What do you mean 'another girl in the house'?"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you, didn't I? Carlisle and she has, I think, six boys. I can't remember their names or ages, but I believe they are decent boys. So, if you wanted you could probably stay with the Cullens if you don't mind, or just go to China with us. Either one is fine. Your mom and I just want you to be happy."

Just when I thought my option of living somewhere else was the best escape I was wrong. Six boys! If they were young that would mean babysitting. If they were my age then it would be awkward to live around them. But then again, five boys were better than living in a whole different country, right?

"I'll think about it," was all I said. Then I ran upstairs, not missing a step, and slammed my door shut. I already knew what my answer was. I just hope these boys aren't complete idiots because they are about receive a new female sibling!

**Please review!Critism is welcomed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All I own is a fluffy Bichon Frise named Molly. So no, I don't own Twilight.**

**A/N: Thank you to the people who took their time and reviewed****. Enjoy!**

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BPOV

"What do you mean you're leaving?" my best friend, Kasey screeched into the phone.

"Like I said before, my family travels a lot, but this time I am staying with someone else."

"But you could always stay at my place instead, Bella. Eve just went out to college so you could have her room." The desperation in her voice made me want to accept her offer, but I shook it off, knowing she didn't mean it. She would probably get over me like all my other old friends did.

"Gee, that's very nice of you, but you'll probably get annoyed by me once you start to live with me.

"No I won't!"

"Besides my parents have already talked to the Cullens and I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

But…but," I could hear her voice beginning to tremble and knew she was about to have an emotional dramatic fit.

"Listen Kasey. It's that or either China. Where would you rather have me go?" She was silent after I said that. "That's what I thought," I said a little too smugly.

"B-but I'll miss you!" she cried.

"I can always text and e-mail you still, Kase. I might even visit you for the holidays too." I sighed when I heard her whimpers. "Oh, don't give me that. You'll be fine."

"But you won't be. How can I stand up for you if people are mean to you?"

"I'm pretty sure I am capable of defending myself, thank you very much," I said feeling a little offended that she thought I was a push-over.

"Oh please! Remember when you first arrived at school? Some bitch just tripped you in the cafeteria, and all you did was apologize when clearly it wasn't your fault! Face it, Bells, you're just a delicate kitten waiting to be fed off on by hungry vultures."

Okay, maybe she was right about that incident, but then I suddenly remembered something. "Hey! I finally spoke up to my parents. Don't I get brownie points for that?"

"Yeah, you _finally_ did."

"Whatever, I'll work on it okay? There are six boys who I am going to be living with, and if they try to cross me, let's just say I'll make you proud."

Suddenly there was a high-pitched squeal on the phone that made me drop my phone. I quickly picked it back up again and placed it back to my ear once it was safe for me to hear again.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Kase?" I shouted irritated.

"You never told me you they have boys living there!" I sighed. Kasey was boy crazy, and of course this made her forget her sadness about my leaving. I continued listening to her blather away and wondered when she was going to shut up and let me talk. "What do they look like? Are they cute? Ugly? How old are they? Our age? Are they nice or mean? Have you ever met-"

"No, I have never met them before so I believe I can't answer all your other questions except for a 'I don't know'.

"Well that sucks." She sounded like a pouty six year old when she said that. "So you promise to write and call me?"

"Yes, I promise." I have always kept my promises when it came to keeping in touch with my friends. The only problem was that they've never seem to write me back. But knowing Kasey, she'll probably track you down if _you_ start to ignore her.

"Okay. Oh! And tell me about those boys. Or hopefully sophisticated _men."_

I chuckled at her and rolled my eyes. "Yes, of course I will."

A deafening silence rang through my ears as I realized I wouldn't see Kasey in a while. Kasey was the only one who was nice to me on my first day of school, and she was the one who introduced me to the popular society. She was by far my favorite friend among my moves, so this was by far my saddest move.

"So…this is good-bye then?"

"Yep, this good-b-bye," my voice broke on the last word and I rubbed away the tears that were starting to cloud my vision. "Tell Amber and Sam I'll miss them too."

"Okay, I'll tell them. I love you B."

"I love you K," and then I hung up. I rose from my bed and continued to pack for the long journey ahead with little sobs escaping me.

* * *

_Ding dong!_

It's Esme! Go and get your things, Bella," Renee said as she smoothed the front of her blouse and opened the door. I picked up my suitcase and pillow and walked up to the front door. A kind looking woman with chestnut colored hair smiled at me that encouraged me a little. She was surprisingly young looking and skinny for being a mother of six.

"Ah, you must be Isabella! It's so nice to finally meet you. Renee and Charlie only say the most positive things about you, and they are so right. You are beautiful," Esme exclaimed. I blushed at her words and let out a thank you in a tiny voice.

Charlie helped me throw my things in the trunk of his car and got into the driver's seat ready to drive us to the airport. I turned to look at my mom and knew the waterworks was about to come. Renee's tears fell on my shoulders as she said her 'I love yous'. Then I slipped into the car and watched her figure disappear as we drove farther from my old house. Charlie and Esme caught up on each other's lives during the car ride. She mentioned that her husband, Carlisle, had received an award for being an outstanding surgeon. When we finally got to the airport, Charlie gave me an impressive, tight hug and I knew he would miss me just as much as Renee.

On the plane, Esme asked me about myself and tried to comfort my distress. She also learned to call me by my Bella. She mostly told me about her sons though on the rest of the trip.

There was Adam and Emmett who were fraternal twins. They both were 18 and the oldest. Then they had an adoptive son named Jasper who was really their nephew. He was 18 too. Their youngest high school boy was Edward and was my age, 17. They only had two 9 year old boys who were identical twins. Their names were Michael and Ian. Right after she finished explaining their ages, her eyes began to water and her face turned pale.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Nothing," was all she said. I decide to change the subject by telling her how thankful I was for letting me stay with her even though her hands were so full. She just laughed at me and told me how happy she is to finally have a daughter figure in the house.

"I'm telling you, those boys are going to give me a heart attack one day. Constantly running around the house and picking fights with each other isn't exactly what I had in mind when they were born," she said when we walked to a black Mercedes after getting off the plane. Even though she complained about them, I understood that that just made her love them more.

Esme gave me a list of things we should do together like shopping or having a girl's night out, and I happily agreed to it, but dreaded the shopping part. I immediately felt comfortable around Esme and found that I could probably tell her anything.

I smiled at this and looked out the window. There were a few houses bunched up together and was surrounded by an endless grassy field. A few minutes later, Esme pulled up into a long driveway. This was the only house that had its own separate yard and wasn't near to any other homes.

The house looked more like a small mansion and had an elegant appearance to it. It was newly painted white and two fat columns supported a balcony in the front. A tire swing was attached to an oak tree right in the middle of the green lawn. Stepping stones led off to the right side of the house and stopped at a fairly large shed.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Nice, isn't it?" Esme asked me.

"Yeah. You have the nicest home in the neighborhood and you have lots of privacy since no one lives that close to you."

"We couldn't live near any other people since the boys run around like hooligans. Before we bought this house, our old neighbor, Mrs. Rogers had us evicted. I don't blame her for it though. Emmett went and cut off her cat's tail to see if it'll grow back."

I laughed and followed Esme to the front door that had a beautiful rainbow mosaic on the glass panes.

"You laugh now, but you'll see what I meant about that heart attack." Her words were not as encouraging anymore and I could feel the knot in my stomach grow tighter.

I took a look around the house once I got inside. The living room was the first place we stepped into. A portrait of Esme and a handsome blond man, whom I assumed as her husband, hung over a white plushy couch. In the front of the couch was a glass coffee table with a red lit candle. But the thing that captured my attention most was the grand piano. Its black surface was so slick and shiny and you could immediately tell that it could make the sweetest sounds. I stepped further away from the piano and into another room. It was the kitchen. I always loved to cook and bake so this was my personal heaven. All the appliances were stainless steel and the counters were marble. Oils, spices, and cook books were aligned along the counters in a neat fashion. The cabinets were polished and flower moldings ran along the edges. The dining table was large enough to fit ten people and a diamond chandelier hung over it. Across from the kitchen was the TV room. A 50" flat screen TV stood on a black stand. Surround sound speakers went around a long, brown leather couch. Next to the TV was a fireplace and a stack of wood and above it were shelves full of DVDs organized by its genre.

"Your home is so decorated nicely."

She smiled. "I decorated it. That's basically what my career is." I was about to compliment her some more but then I could hear shouting.

"Race ya to da kitchen!" the voice of a little boy said.

"You're on!" the same exact voice answered. Just then, two small blurs came hopping down the stairs. My guess was that they were the youngest boys. They laughed goofily as they tried to shove each other into the stair's railing.

"Boys! You knock it off or I'm going to take your X-Box privileges," Esme shouted. I was surprised that she could yell like that since she was such a sweet woman. "Come down here and greet your guest."

The twins exchanged glances and looked back at me smiling mischievously, and then started walking towards me. Their brown hair was spiked up and visible freckles could be seen on their noses. They both wore t-shirts that said 'You can't spell awesome without Me' and muddy jeans.

"Michael, Ian, this is Bella. She's staying with us, remember? She's going to be here for a while, so you both behave and give her respect. Now say hi."

"Hi Bella!" they both said in unison and grinned, showing me their missing bottom teeth.

"Hey Michael and Ian," I replied as I returned their smiles.

"I'm Ian! You can tell it's me 'cuz I have a scar like Harry Potter right here on my forehead! Wanna know how I got it?"

"Sure," I said amused by Ian's talkativeness and how he related his scar to Harry Potter.

"Okay! Well a long, long time ago I got attacked by a dog because he thought I looked like a hamburger!"

"No! It attacked you 'cuz you were teasing him with a stick," chimed Michael.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"See what I have to go through everyday?" Esme mumbled shaking her head. "Okay boys. Stop it!" Michael and Ian quickly fell silent and looked at their mother. "Where are your other brothers? I thought I told them to be ready for Bella."

"Emmett is fixing his car in the garage. Adam and Jasper are playing Rainbow Six, and I think Edward is on his period again."

Once Ian said that, I went into small giggles. "You're probably wondering what do I teach these boys, but I don't even know myself. Oh well. Sorry about this, Bella. Why don't you get settled in now. Your room is at the end of the hallway to the right."

"Okay, thanks."

"Ian and Michael, put Bella's bags in the room for her. Bella, if you need to use the restroom there is one in your room and I just put fresh towels in there for you."

I thanked her again and followed the twins up the stairs. The hallway was full of doors and I was glad that my room was at the end not the middle just in case if I walked into another person's room on accident.

As I entered my new room, I couldn't help but admire it. The walls were painted a mint green and I had a regular sized bed with a flower print on the bedspread. A white dresser stood next to a window that had one of those seating cushions.

"Well, hope you like it here because me and Michael are going to make your stay here worth your while," Ian spoke up as he set down my bags onto the bed.

"Um…thanks," was all I could say, not sure what he meant by that. They left my room and I headed to the bathroom door. I splashed cold water on my face and took time to comb the tangles in my hair that were starting to form. After I was done, I decided to go see if Esme would give me a tour around the house. I walked out of my bedroom and stopped in my tracks as I saw what was in the hallway.

My jaw dropped and a surge of panic shot through my body. Tampons that were obviously mine and came from my suitcase, were stacked neatly into a pyramid. Just then, Ian popped out of no where with a remote control in his hand. An engine noise could be heard as Ian pushed down a red button. A red remote controlled airplane came into view and Ian smiled at me then turned his attention back to the airplane.

"Preparing for crash-landing in…1…2…3!" he yelled and the plane crashed into the tampon pyramid causing them to explode across the carpet. My chest began to bubble with rage as Ian began to laugh and Michael alongside him, joined in.

"What the hell is going on here!" spoke a smooth, velvety voice. My eyes flickered to a boy standing in an open doorway next to the stairs. Oh…my…fucking…goodness. The guy was dropped dead gorgeous! He had tousled brown and reddish hair that stuck up in a few places, but in a hot bed hair way. He was lanky, but was well-built. He wore a black shirt and jacket with a pair of ripped up jeans. His face held a pair of deep, green eyes and prominent cheek bones. His emerald eyes widen as he looked at the scattered tampons lying on the floor and then finally looked at me. Ian and Michael snickered and they both took off running down the stairs evading the scene.

I let out a groan. "I'm sorry," I said to whatever his name was and began to pick up the tampons.

"Here, let me help you," he said in a hypnotizing voice and dropped to his knees to pick some up.

I could feel my face burning with heat and knew I was probably as red as a tomato. Here I am with this frigging hot guy and he's helping me pick up my frigging woman products. I am totally screwed and scarred with humiliation for life! Wait till I get my hands on those little brats!

"Um…here you go," he said as he handed my…um…well…you know.

"Thanks," I said in an inaudible voice.

We both stood up as I kept my eyes on the floor. I could feel his eyes scrutinizing my face and was too afraid to look up at his gaze.

"You must be Isabella, the girl who's staying with us."

I felt relieve once he broke the awkward silence.

"Yep, but you could just call me Bella."

"Bella. Hmmm…it fits you perfectly." My eyes shot up to look at his expression to see if he was serious. His eyes seemed to penetrate my soul and I felt like he could see through me easily. I ran a hand through my hair and felt self conscious.

"I'm Edward by the way. I guess you already met the runts. Sorry about your…er…things," he said looking at the pile I held in my arms.

I blushed again and began walking backwards to my room.

"Yeah, thanks," I whispered quietly as I reentered my bedroom and shut it close. My back fell against the door as I slowly slid down it. I let out a deep breath and held my hand up to my forehead. What have I gotten myself into?

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**A/N: Okay, so please review and I hope you HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: No matter how many times I wish on a shooting star, I'll never own Twilight.**

**A/N: Hello! Well my winter break is almost up, so I've decided to quickly write this up for you guys. I would like to thank all the people who reviewed my story. You guys are awesome!  
**

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**BPOV**

After the whole tampon incident, I tried to take my mind off of it by unpacking my things. I put my clothes in the dresser and closet and toiletries in the bathroom. I neatly stacked my book collection on top of my dresser and grabbed _Pride and Prejudice_ to finish reading. About ten minutes later there was a light tap on my door.

"Come in." Esme opened the door slightly and the smell of food drafted into my room.

"It's dinner time and all the boys are waiting to meet you downstairs." I closed my book and went downstairs with her.

I was a little anxious about meeting the boys, especially Edward. When we entered the kitchen I saw the two evil munchkins, the guy from the portrait, and three other teenagers sitting around the table. Their loud chattering stopped as they each turned to look at me.

"Hello Bella! I'm Carlisle. Hope you'll be happy staying here with us."

"Thanks," I said blushing at all this unwanted attention I was getting. Suddenly the big, muscular boy with curly, brown hair got up and pulled me into a bear hug. Just as I started to feel a little light-headed, he let me go and let a boom of laughter out.

"Sorry 'bout that. I've always wanted a little sister in the family," he said as he smiled widely showing off his cute dimples. I should have felt intimidated by this over-sized teen, but strangely enough, I felt comfortable around him as if I knew him my whole life.

"I'm Emmett. That over there is Adam," he said pointing to a boy that looked like him except he had a less bulky physique and his hair was straighter. Adam gave me a wave of acknowledgement. "And that's Jasper." Jasper had honey blond hair and I could somehow sense a calming aura around him. These guys were all so handsome and I wondered how they all got great genes from their parents. I took a seat beside Emmett and Esme. I noticed an empty chair from across from me. Everybody was present except for one.

"Where's Edward?" I asked.

Adam let out a laugh and said," Edward's part vampire in the family **(A/N: Adam is just joking about this. Everyone's human.)**. He likes to hide in his room unless he really needs to use the bathroom or go to school. So don't expect to see the freak show anytime soon." The hatred in Adam's voice could be easily heard as he spoke.

"Adam! Don't talk abut your brother like that," Carlisle scolded.

The ambiance became deadly silent and tense, so I decided to talk. "Um…I met him in the hallway when the twi- I mean when I dropped something from my bag. He seemed pretty nice to me." I almost ratted on Ian and Michael, but didn't want to be known as a tattler.

"Whoa! You actually got him out of his shell?" yelled Emmett with admiration.

Carlisle cleared his voice and changed the subject. "So Bella, how do you like Forks?"

"Erm, it's a bit cloudy for me, but I think the whole scenery is beautiful." I ate a small bite of lasagna after finishing my sentence.

"Charlie said you're more of a sun girl. But you don't look like it at all." I looked down at my hands knowing that I indeed had very pale skin.

Dinner pretty much carried on like that. They all asked me about the different places I have lived in and what I liked best among them. Emmett spoke mostly whatever was running through his head, while Adam made small, humorous comments. Jasper was fairly quiet and kept to himself unlike the Double Trouble Clones who dropped chunks of cheese and tomato sauce on the floor every now and then. Even though I had an embarrassing evening before, my spirit was lifted up once more when the Cullens made their welcome wagon very welcoming. I understood how irritating these guys could be, but it was pretty hilarious to listen into their conversations since they talked about the most randomnest things.

I offered to wash dishes since Esme cooked but she fought me off and told me it would be easier if I just go to bed. Tomorrow was a Monday, but apparently it was a non-student attendance day.

When I walked up the stairs, I could hear loud, music blasting loudly from Edward's room. I guess he was one of those rebellious teenage boys who thought they could do everything in their own way. That was very odd for me since he didn't strike that kind of type to me.

The shower I took relaxed me and washed away all the traveling I've been through today. I dressed in my pajamas. They were nothing special like the Victoria Secret's, but simply just sweatpants and a lime green camy. Before hitting the sack, I decided to send my mom an e-mail before she gets freaked out.

**To: Mom**

**From: Bella**

Hey, it's me! I just wanted to tell you that I made it safely to Forks. The Cullen's house is so huge and beautiful too. Carlisle and Esme has made my welcoming very pleasant. All the guys are nice except for the two youngest ones. They went through my things and stole some very important stuff of mine! Oh, and also there is one boy, Edward, who isn't part of the Brady Bunch group. Well enough about me, tell me about China! Do you like it there? Write me soon and tell Dad I said hi. I miss you guys already!

Hugs and kisses,

Bella

I shut down my laptop after sending it, and got up from the bed to brush my teeth. The clock read 8:34 p.m. It was way too early for my usual bedtime, but with all the new changes, I fell asleep quickly of exhaustion.

* * *

Someone was shouting. I couldn't make out their words. My mind was foggy and too jumbled up with sleep. Something was shaking me which just made me confuse. Where was I? And what time was it? Then my mind slowly became more and more conscious and the yelling became clear to me.

"Fire! Fire! Bella, wake up! There's a fire and you're gonna be burned alive if you don't wake up!"

My eyes fluttered opened as I shot out of my sleeping position. As quickly as possible, I tried to stand up, but my feet felt funny, like they were glued together or something. This made me trip as I lost balance. I braced myself for the fall by putting my hands out front, instead of going head first. My hands pressed against something slimy and sticky. Laughter erupted through the air and I was now definitely confused. The lights flickered on and I saw Emmett and Adam standing in the doorway gaping at me. In the far left corner was Ian and Michael all red-faced and clutching their stomachs as they continued to crack up. I wonder what they are laughing at. Wait, are they laughing at _me_? I looked down at my body and let out a gasp.

My feet were tied up together with red yarn which explained why they stuck together. All over my arms was a coat of whip cream and beside me was a wide, blue bin that was filled with it. That was what I put my hands in when I fell. _Those little monsters!_ They planned this prank for me! I couldn't believe it. How did they know I would react perfectly to their plan? From the corner of my eye I could see Emmett and Adam trying to hold their ridicule in as they swallowed the whole scene with their eyes. Esme and Carlisle rushed in with blood-shot eyes.

Esme's eyes widen like saucers and said in a stern tone," Ian, Michael! You clean this mess up and you can kiss your freedom good-bye!" They both shrugged their shoulders and walked out of the room and didn't seem the least bit fazed by her punishment.

"Bella, dear, I'm so sorry! I don't know what's come over them. Let me get those off of you," she cried slipping the yarn off my feet. The others had disappeared already and I could hear Carlisle giving a lecture downstairs.

"You should probably take another shower, and then I'll have the boys clean up the floor."

I mumbled a thanks in a disconcerting voice. I stood up and almost fell over again, but made it to the bathroom. After I took a reviving shower, I dressed in a new set of pajamas and crawled back into bed. It wasn't even one in the morning, so I had plenty of time to sleep this off. I was drowsy and felt like I was living in a dream. More of a nightmare if you ask me. Maybe I was just having a nightmare. Once I wake up I'll be back in Phoenix with no troublesome twins on the loose or hot guys. Yes, this was all a nightmare that I'll be able to tell Kasey tomorrow. Hmmm…just a nightmare…

* * *

When I woke up, I woke up to a gloomy, grey light, not the sunny, yellow kind. My bed was way too comfortable and the walls weren't plain like they were supposed to be. I groaned. Yep, it wasn't a dream after all. Just me living with a bunch of strangers and two boys who have it out for me. Sighing, I got up from my bed to brush my teeth and haystack of a hair, and went to have some breakfast.

The kitchen was, thankfully, empty. I grabbed a box of Lucky Charms from the cupboard and milk from the refrigerator. I poured them both into a glass bowl and began to eat. As I took my third spoonful, Jasper strolled in with a piece of paper and pen in his hand. He spotted me and gave a sympathetic smile, and had a seat next to me. He obviously heard about last night.

"I'm sorry about what Ian and Michael did to you, Bella."

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

"But I'm like their older brother to them. They shouldn't be treating you like that. They know better."

_"Why are they treating me like this way then?"_ I asked. Jasper paused to come up with an answer before speaking again.

"I guess they feel like you're invading their space. They're not used to having a girl around here either."

"I should just leave then if I'm just going to be a burden for you guys."

"No! I didn't say it was like that for the rest of the family. I used to have a sister before the car accident. You kind of remind me of her. Spunky, shy, smart, and beautiful. I think it's a good thing for us to have you here."

"Thanks, and I'm sorry about what's happened to you, Jasper."

"Don't be. It's mostly a blur now." I could tell he didn't want to have a conversation about his past, so I changed the subject.

"What do the other guys think of me?"

"Emmett likes you since you didn't even flinch when he hugged you, and Adam thinks you're pretty cool. I don't know about Edward, but since he talked to you without being forced to, I guess that means you won't be a bother for him."

I smiled and felt relaxed and more reassured as Jasper said those things to me. I also wish he would just tell me what Edward's problem was, but I figured it would be rude to pry.

"Thanks, not just for saying that, but for accepting me as a member of your family so quickly."

"It's no problem." Then he stiffened a little and his cheeks turned a bright, pink color. Was he…_blushing_? Okay, now what's with the sudden change of mood? "I wanted to talk to you about a…" he stopped midway through his sentence and twirled his thumbs nervously.

"About a what?"

"Never mind. It's too embarrassing," he said as he got up from his chair.

"No, wait! Tell me!" I don't know where I got the courage from, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down with force. "Tell me," I repeated.

"Fine, but I hope you know I am only telling you because you have a freakishly strong grip on my arm and it's hard to move."

"Oh, sorry." I let go of his arm as he drew it back rubbing it.

"Okay, well, there's a girl who goes to my school and I've been meaning to ask her out, but I've just never had the courage to. So since you're a girl, could you tell me how _you_ would like a guy to approach _you_?"

"This is what you want to know?" I chuckled. "Well, all you have to do is man up and ask her. That's the most simple and easiest way. You don't want to make your proposal romantic or anything or she'll just think you're too sensitive."

"Really that's it?" I nodded my head yes. "Because I was thinking that maybe I could write her love note and sign it anonymously," he said holding up the paper and pen."It would save me the public humiliation if she rejects it."

"No, don't do that. I rather find it creepy if I found a note proclaiming someone's love for me. For all you know, it could be a psycho or maybe even the janitor. So you should just ask her. You're a pretty good looking guy. If she says no, they should put her in a straight-jacket just in case if she's crazy."

Jasper grinned at me. "You're right. I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks Bella! You're the greatest!" He rushed out of the kitchen as I placed my dish in the sink and I smiled happily to myself. It made me feel good that I was able to help Jasper out. Maybe I'll like it here after all. I just hope that the others would be able to warm up to me. And I also hope everyone would get amnesia so they all could forget the whole whip cream thing.

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**A/N: Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: Sorry if it's been two weeks since I last updated. I like to thank people for reading my story and adding it on to their favorites and reviewing.**

**EPOV**

I bite my lip as I stare up at the ceiling. Everything is dark and the air feels so cold. Sleep has once again failed me. No matter how I wished for these nightmares to end, they always seem to find a way to play over and over in my head. Quietly, I get on my feet and off the bed. Tip toeing through the hallways was a childish thing to do, but it was the only way to avoid the heart-to-heart talk with my mother. The thundering snores could be heard from my brother's room. Just then, one of the bedroom's doors opened. I stopped in my tracks and stiffened as I heard my name being called.

"Edward?"

Turning around, I come face to face with Adam.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be sneaking off? Or are you just looking for someone else to kill tonight?" he said in a mocking tone.

"Shut the fuck up," I growled. Even though it may seem that I'm the insensitive and cocky jerk, you'd have to take a double look at Adam, but as always, he was labeled as the most handsomest and favorite son.

"Oooh, scary, I better sleep with my eyes open just in case if I'm your next victim." Then he went back to his room.

There he goes again. Always making those smart ass comments. My hands were clenched into fist as I tried not to knock his pretty face off. Instead, I shot him daggers with my eyes as I descended down to the kitchen. I stared out of the glass sliding door that overlooked the pool. The pool was clean. I have no idea why the woman even bothers to clean it. It's not like she can't ignore what happened. I abruptly pulled myself away from that very subject that I was trying to escape. I had to go somewhere.

I ran up to the front door. The red light shined on the alarm system as I hoped it wouldn't be. I pressed the code in and cringed when it made loud, chirping beats. Slowly I opened and placed my foot out until there was an irritated cough behind me._ Not again _I thought as I closed the door and turned to look at my second obstacle tonight.

"Where in the world are you going out at this time of night," came the voice of my mom.

"You're a smart woman. Shouldn't you know the answer already when you read those _'How to Convert Your Teenager into a Saint_' books," the sarcasm rolled off my tongue like venom. She pursed her lips tightly as her skin began to heat up.

"Who are you? And what did you do to the son I raised?" Oh, so she's going to play the possessed son card.

"Well if you weren't so wrapped up in your damn life trying to make everything perfect then maybe you could actually see all the fucking mistakes you've made to have a son like me!" My temper was now getting out of hand. I realized that she was right. I wasn't my own person anymore. It felt like an evil spirit of some sort had taken over my body as I stood watching helplessly from the sidelines.

"Go to bed. And don't even make me mention the mistake that you have caused for this family's downfall."

I silently brushed beside her as her face scrunched up and twisted into pain. Pain that I was causing. But I was too much of a selfish bastard to care. Like I said before, I wasn't my own person anymore. The person who made me me today, liked his solitude and unlimited boundaries, and all the jacked up craziness in the household. I didn't need anybody's help because in the end, you'll learn that trust and love bites.

I didn't get too far up the stairs when my mom shouted something up to me in a strained tone. "You better get your act together because tomorrow someone's going to be living with us."

I gazed down at her from the stairs trying to be sure I wasn't getting punk'd.

"What?!"

"The whole family thinks it would be good to finally have a _girl _here. They're just worried you might scare her off."

I laughed dryly. Was she serious? Did she honestly believe that some girl would absorb all this stress and tension in the house? Did she really believe that a random girl could just replace _her?_ If so, she was dead wrong.

"Yeah. You're absolutely right," I said pausing for a moment before completing my full answer, but my mother cut me off.

"You mean you're fine with this? You do think it's a good idea?" her voice was hopeful, but selfish ol' me just had to crush that.

"No. That's not what I meant. I meant that you're absolutely right about being worried. 'Cuz I might just show her how fucked up this family really is!" And with that last comment, I marched to my room and slammed the door with a loud bang that would probably wake up the whole house. Good. I hope that woke everybody up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight I wouldn't be writing this now, would I?**

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**BPOV  
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I smiled giddily to myself as I walked pass a room that was slightly left ajar. Gunshots and men yelling could be heard. I peaked and saw Emmett and Adam sitting on a bed and torn up couch while their eyes were glued to the television set in front of them.

"Dude, where the hell are you hiding?" Then someone replied," Why should I tell you if you're just going to kill me?" I realized that they were playing some outer space game. I was about to leave, but Emmett spotted me. He paused the game and got up and walked toward me.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your game. I guess I'm going to leave," I said blushing that I got caught spying on them.

"It's okay. We actually need a third person to play. It's more fun with more people. Would you like to join us?"

"I really suck at video games and I'm pretty sure that you'll make it fine without me." I turned to leave.

"Oh pretty please! My ideal of a sister would do whatever I wanted," Emmett whined as he bounced on his feet. It looked hilarious if you could just imagined a guy, who looked like he could kill you in one punch, bouncing up and down with his lower lip trembling and his eyes beginning to water.

"Just say yes before he pisses himself," Adam called out as he smirked at the position they both put me in. I groaned and agreed to play.

"What game are you guys playing?"

"Halo 2. We would have been playing Halo 3 if Ian and Michael hadn't smashed our Xbox 360 with that damn plane of theirs!"

"Oh, so I guess they got you too with that plane," I said remembering my moment.

"Yep. Okay, go ahead and make a name for your person."

"Aren't there any girl characters?" I asked as I viewed the man in a suit. I guess that was a stupid question because both boys snorted and said something about me being girly.

"You could be an alien if you wanted."

"Uh, no thanks. I'll just stick to the guy." I picked my regular name for my character and laughed once I heard what the other's names were, White Boy and El Paco. Then they both picked Coagulation for the setting. As the game began I could feel my nerves getting the best of me as Adam tried to find out where my person was hiding. He assassinated me once I found out that the trigger was used for shooting. Emmett started gaining up on me with Adam as I helplessly struggled to press the right buttons. Once the game was over, they both high fived each other and asked me if I would like to have another round. Strangely enough I felt hypnotized to the game and would give it another chance even though I sucked. My reflexes became better and I actually blew up Emmett when he was in the Banshee. After the second round, I had the most kills. Emmett and Adam weren't laughing now.

"Wow, how did you all of a sudden get so good?"

"I don't know, but this game is pretty fun. Can we play at Ivory Towers next?"

"Sure," Adam replied with a look of annoyance. We continued on like that for the next hour, me slaughtering each of them.

"I think that's enough video games for you Bella." Adam turned off the TV.

"But why?" I said as I pouted a little.

"The game is kind of getting boring when you're always killing us."

"Isn't that the whole objective to the game?"

"Yes, it's just not fun with you always winning."

I scoffed and thought how childish Adam sounded.

"Someone's a sore loser," chanted Emmett in a singing voice.

"I am not a sore loser! I'm just saying girls should just stick to make up and books."

"You're the one who asked me to play." I was starting to get a little frustrated with Adam, but his total hotness kept me from whacking his beautiful head.

"Technically Emmett was the one who begged you too."

I rolled my eyes at him and clenched my jaw as Emmett burst out laughing.

"Better be careful, Adam. It looks like Bella is ready to pull out a sledge hammer out of her pocket and murder you with it. Ah, the beauty of a brother and sister rivalry," he chuckled.

"Let me know when you get off of your high horse," I said with a final huff and walked out of the room and went into my bedroom.

I decided to calm myself down by picking out my outfit for tomorrow at school. Normally, I would just wear anything thrown together, but Kasey tainted my mind with all of her fashion instincts. Even though I was free of her grasp, I still wanted to impress Forks High School. I searched through the closet as I listened to some music on the radio. For my top I picked out a silky blouse with a floral print on it. Then I selected a skirt to go with it. As for my hair, I was going to curl the ends. Just then, a familiar song came on to the radio and memories flooded through my mind. A memory of Kasey and me jumping up on my bed as we both sang and danced along to the lyrics. I was feeling completely nostalgic right now and wished that I could go back to those times. So for old time's sake, I decided to sing to it again one more time.

**EPOV** (Just after he meets Bella)

I watched her awkwardly scratch her head as she began walking backwards into her room. She really looked cute when she was flustered. My whole 'Scare the Hell Out of the New Girl' plan didn't turn out the way I wanted. I was supposed to give her a blunt greeting, not compliment her by saying that beautiful fit her. Bella wasn't pretty, but simply beautiful. In most people's eyes, they would probably describe her as plain, but I was biased. The way her brown eyes and hair looked on her pallid face made me feel like I was floating. I did not recognize this emotion and I did not want to feel it again. I just had to endure her stay with us until us boys drive her crazy. And what was worst was that I actually felt guilty for paying Ian and Michael to do that little stunt back there. They played their roles perfectly, but as for me, I acted like a complete idiot. I gave her the wrong impression. She probably thought I was flirtatious and charming, but that was usually Adam's personality when he wasn't being egoistical.

I silently cursed myself as I laid down on my bed. I could smell the lasagna my mother was making. It was my favorite and it smelled good. That was her way of trying to entice me to dinner. But no. Once again I wasn't going to be part of the family. I didn't want to have to put up with Adam's snide remarks or Jasper's sympathy. And I didn't want to especially put up with my mother's grief. It was for the greater good if I just rot in my hell. But at least Bella could fill my place. I blasted my favorite rock band's songs to block out the sudden longing to be with my family.

I played with my fingers, picking at the skin, a nasty habit I had. I fell asleep once the scraping of chairs and clattering plates could be heard.

Next thing I know, I could hear laughter filling through the hallway. I opened my door and looked to see if anyone was there. The light from the last room was the only visible light on and that was where all the noises were coming from. I crept up behind the backs of my brothers who took no notice of me. Their shoulders were shaking and little snorts came from them. I stood up a little higher to see what they were looking at. My eyes widen at the sight and I clapped a hand over my mouth since I too had a spasm of laughter which never usually happens. There was Bella, covered in whip cream and tied up in yarn. And that cute blush that had turned one hundred times redder was painted on her cheeks. I couldn't hold it any longer, so I ran back to bed.

I fell on top of the floor as I laughed a little too loudly. The insides of me hurt, but I felt alive all over. I felt…happy? No, I couldn't feel happy. I still had too much anger swelled up inside of me. My smile faded. Bella was going to become a problem if she kept screwing with these already screwed up feelings of mine. I would have to congratulate Ian and Michael though. That prank would have to start making her think what she has gotten herself into. If we did more of that stuff to her than she'll definitely be gone.

I closed my eyes, but did not go into slumber. I was lucky that I didn't even have a nightmare before. That was rare. But I couldn't trust my mind. It wouldn't let me off the hook that easy. Night seemed so long when you were awake and the day went by so fast when you were awake. That shit never made any sense to me. My stomach began to growl so I got a piece of leftover lasagna downstairs. Midnight was the only time I ate since I always avoided any risk of running into someone in the daytime. I cleaned up my dish and left no evidence of me being here. My mother was probably worried that I was anorexic or something. If she knew about my midnight snacks she would be down here every night pestering me to talk to her. I tapped my fingers along the table. I was starting to get sleepy and bored. I glanced at the clock and it read 3:16.

I guess I could get started on my school work. It wouldn't hurt to turn something in to the teachers every now and then. The calculus was easy, but there were too many problems assigned. For English we had to read _William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet_ and write a response to literature essay. I never liked reading those types of books. It was so damn depressing, even for me. Didn't the girl and guy both die in the end? I think the message was pretty clear. Love just ends up killing you once you have fallen in.

The dark began to soften as the night began to fade into dawn. My eyes began to droop over. Sleep was beginning to overcome me and my mind couldn't think straight anymore. I wasn't as strong as I wished I would be and I knew that I couldn't fight everything. As the gloomy light began to fill the room I had already blanked out.

I had the nightmare again. It woke me up and the images of it flashed through my head. I quickly shoved it out before I could start crying. I took a deep breath and began playing with my fingers again. An annoying tune could be heard faintly. My eyes fluttered open. The music was like those ones that would be stuck in your head all day. I could feel my temper rising irrationally as I tried to remain calm. I got up and trudged out of my room to tell whoever was playing that song to fucking shut it off. The music was coming from Bella's room. This was the perfect chance to scare her off now. I readied myself as I pushed the door open and I gasped at what she was doing.

She was standing on top of her bed as she jumped up and down and swung her hips to the beat. Her head bobbed and her hair was tossed to the right and then to the left. The camisole she was wearing lifted a bit up as she threw her arms in the air revealing her perfect, flat stomach and belly button. Her voice rang through my ears and the words of the song made me crack a smile.

_If you're alone and you need a friend  
Someone to make you forget your problems  
Just come along baby  
Take my hand  
I'll be your lover tonight_

_Whoa oh whoa oh  
This is what I wanna do  
Whoa oh whoa oh  
(Let's have some fun)  
Whoa oh whoa oh  
One on one just me and you  
Whoa oh whoa oh_

_Boom boom boom boom  
I want you in my room  
Let's spend the night together  
From now until forever  
Boom boom boom boom  
I wanna double boom  
Let's spend the night together  
Together in my room_

Her brown eyes suddenly flashed on to my green ones and she missed her footing. A shriek escaped her lips as her body hit the floor and her hair was jumbled up wildly. Instinctively, I rushed next to her side and helped pull her up. Her skin felt so soft against mine and I fought the urge to stroke it with my fingertips.

"Are you alright?" I asked her not realizing that I was being polite.

"I'm fine now," she said as that adorable blush set in. I smiled at her and it wasn't forced at all.

"So what are you doing in my room?"

"I was going to tell you to turn off your music until I saw your little performance."

"Sorry if I disrupted you. And about my dancing, sorry if it made you want to claw your eyes out," she said as her brow furrowed. I laughed.

"That song doesn't strike annoying anymore since it'll remind me of you. As for your dancing, you should do it more often." As those words escaped my lips, I wanted to smack myself. I did it again. Flirting. Something that was foreign to me when I spoke to girls, but with Bella, I couldn't help it. I abruptly left her room before I could ruin anything else. I was just going to stick to paying the twins for torturing her. That wasn't such a humane way to get rid of her, but it was the only humane way for me.

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**A/N: A review a day makes me smile away!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: There's no Stephenie Meyer here.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. A lot of you are asking what's wrong with Edward and what happened to him before Bella came. Probably in a few more chapters I'll have it explained, so you just have to be patient for the answer for now. This is a short chapter since I couldn't think of anything to write about.  
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**BPOV  
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Edward left my room in the blink of an eye. I didn't understand him at all. It was like he had some kind of weird, moody thing going on. Remembering what the twins said when I first met them, I started to wonder if guys could really have periods. Except for his sudden moodiness, Edward was the brother in the house that intrigued me the most. The family hardly spoke to him and Adam's coldness to Edward was extremely obvious. But Edward seemed harmless and sweet to me. I wanted to get to know him better. If he would just come out of his room once in a while, maybe I could start a decent conversation that didn't have me falling off beds. Maybe we could become really good friends. Maybe all he needed was someone to talk to. I wanted to be that person.

Rubbing the side of my sore back, I cleaned up the tossed clothes on the floor and switched the radio off. There was a knock at the door. I hollered for the person to come in. And there stood Adam smiling at me like I was some pitiful peasant standing in the presence of a king with a really big ass ego. That boy has got some nerve.

"I heard something crash. Are you alright?"

"Yes. I was just following your orders." He gave me a confused expression.

"You know, girls should stick to make up and clothes."

"Yeah, about that, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I was just a little surprised that a girl was better at video games than me. Forgive me?" he said as he placed his hand on top of mine. I should've took my hand out from underneath his, but I was too preoccupied with Adam's face leaning closer than necessary to mine.

"Um, sure," I answered without thinking. He smiled at me and broke our contact as he walked out of the room, satisfied with my quick forgiveness. Wow, I must say. He's good. He knew how to work his good looks to his advantage which must be the reason why no one has given a piece of their mind to him.

By evening, I had all my things ready for school except for my nerves. Carlisle arrived home early today from the hospital and Esme made Emmett and Adam get some fast food for tonight since she was too busy to cook dinner. I tagged along with them since there was nothing better to do and I was pretty sure the twins were brewing something else for me.

The drive to Carl's Jr. was not a quiet one, of course. I listened to Emmett blabber away about how hot his girlfriend is and Adam droned on about how he hit the homerun that made his team win. They asked me questions like if I had a boyfriend before or played any sports. I told them that I was supposed to go to the fall dance with this one guy but that was all. Me playing a sport was embarrassing to even imagine it, so I disappointed them by saying that I couldn't even throw a ball without sending someone to the nurse's office with a bloody nose. We stayed in the drive through for a long time since Emmett ordered so many food. When we finally drove away with our order there was a loud squeal from the front seat and the car jerked to a sudden stop.

"What's wrong?" I asked Emmett in a frightened voice as I saw the look of horror spilled on his face.

"They…FORGOT TO GIVE ME RANCH!" he bellowed as he spun the car around and headed back. My eyes squinted as I took in his words. That's what he's freaking out about?

"I can't believe they would do this to me! After all the good money I paid for their six dollar burger!"

"Emmett, it's just ranch. People make mistakes sometimes. No need to make a fuss. Also, it's not even your money." His posture stiffened as I finished the last of my sentence. His face was dead serious that I didn't find this affair hilarious anymore. Geez, way to make it a life and death situation.

"How could you say that? I don't pay these people to make mistakes. No, I pay them to fill my mouth hole. And I'll make a fuss out of whatever I want, so go in there and get my ranch!" he yelled and parked into an empty spot in front of Carl's Jr.

"You're the one who wants the ranch. Why do I have to get it?"

"So you can understand the importance of ranch, young padawan. Now stop complaining and do it." I sighed with huge frustration and banged the car door with as much force as I could muster. I walked up to the counter as I cursed a number of profanities and blamed the economy for this. I put on my fake smile and asked for Emmett's ranch. Then marched back into the jeep and slammed the door shut and threw the tiny packets at his face.

"Here! Take your damn ranch! I hope you're happy."

"Actually, I am happy. Thanks Bella. You've made my night." His words made me scowl at him deeply but he truly did look overjoyed.

"Hey, Emmett? I thought we already had a bag full of ranch packets back at home," Adam said.

"We do? Oh. _Oh, yeah._ We do have some at home. Oops, silly me. Well at least we got some extra for the winter."

I slapped my hand to my face and silently pleaded to the heavens why they placed me with these nincompoops. If Adam already knew that then why didn't he say anything? I hope they both get struck by lightning.

You probably could have fried an egg on my head right now. They must have comprehended that because the ride home was silent and uneventful this time. I was relieved as I entered the house and started to have a normal chat with Esme and Carlisle. Esme asked me about what I did today and I happily told her everything but left out my Edward encounter. She shook her head and apologized about how immature her sons could be when I explained the whole ranch situation. The family and I ate together with the empty chair sitting across from me again. The boys ate like pigs and basically vacuumed up all the food. By the end of dinner, I was worn out from all the crazy things I had to deal with.

To relax my thoughts, I pulled out a book to read and listened to Yanni, one of my favorite pianist. Just when I thought my peace had finally arrived, there was a thudded rhythm coming from outside. I glanced out my window and saw Emmett, Adam, and Jasper playing basketball. I chuckled and wondered when I could get some peace and quiet around here. I tried my best to ignore their dribbling and cheers when one made the ball into the basket. The noises stopped at last. I went back to my reading taking whatever chance I got to enjoy this leisure time. Suddenly, someone just barged into my room. I was about to tell whoever it was to go away but got cut off before I could say anything.

"Bella? Can I borrow one of your towels?" Emmett asked. He was absolutely dripping wet as if he had been sprayed by a hose. That couldn't be sweat or that would be just plain nasty.

"Did you just take a shower?" I asked him hoping that those were clean water droplets splashing on to the carpet.

"Why? Is one missing?" He grinned at his joke, which didn't work so well with my up tightness at this very moment.

"I'm serious."

"No. I'm just gonna take one right now."

"Ewww! You mean that's all of your body fluids? Get out of my room. I don't need any precipitation in here," I shouted as he just laughed at my expression and left. Ugh! I wish someone would just jump into this fanfiction right now and murder me! I mean seriously! Was it to hard to replace these brothers with two wicked step sisters instead? I'd rather take that position instead.

I got dressed for bed and flung myself on the mattress ready for a goodnight's sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow wouldn't be so bad. _After all, tomorrow is another day._

**A/N: If you guess where the italicized quote is from, I'll give you a cookie jar with my thanks on it. My friend, Kristine helped me out with this chapter since the ranch argument is a true story for her. She is so awesome and is like the greatest person in the world! LOL! Okay, now review, review, review!  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If you think I own Twilight, smack yourself right now.**

**A/N: I know that this may seem a little creepy, but i just wanted to tell all my readers, subscribers, and reviewers that I LOVE YOU! And congratulations to twilighter11 for giving me the correct answer for my italicized quote. The answer was _Gone With the Wind!_ Great book if you're willing to read over 1,000 pages. Twilighter11, I sent your virtual cookie, but I don't know if you got them. Okay so read and pretty please with a cherry on a top review!****

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EPOV**

It was fucking school again. I don't even know why we even have school. It wasn't like any of the teachers cared about our education. They just wanted their pay checks, and prayed for the summer to come quickly. The only good thing about it was that no one bothered me there. I made it quite clear that I didn't want to talk to anyone. Adam made up for my absence of soul though. It was always 'Adam this' and 'Adam that'. He was King of Forks High. So no one paid attention to me. No one cared about me. And I don't even give a shit about it. That's how I am. Eat, sleep, and no socializing was my schedule. And that's how I like it.

I wore what I went to bed with which is my ripped up jeans, black shirt, and baggy hoodie. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed outside. The morning air was chilling to the bone and my breath looked like white puffs of smoke. I only got about two feet away from the porch until I heard someone calling my name. Bella ran up to me looking frazzled by the dreary weather. The shirt she wore clung to her curves tightly and revealed her soft shoulder blades. She crossed her arms against her chest shivering.

"I forgot it would be cold here. I guess I'll have to pull out my heavy duty jacket," she said giving me a stupid, happy grin.

I didn't reply back because I had no idea what to say to her. She rocked back on the balls of her feet awkwardly staring down on the floor. There was something about her that made me switch off my bastard mode. I wanted to be mean to her, I truly did. But the way she was so fragile, sweet, and innocent made me hold back any rude comments sprouting or dirty glares that said "Back the hell off." Instead, my cold heart beat quicker than ever and my palms began to sweat. Or was that just the water dripping from the oak tree right now?

Why did this insignificant girl seem so…appealing to me? It wasn't her looks because God knows how many beautiful girls tried to talk to me before, or in other words, _offered themselves_ to me. I became aware of how long we've been standing here in silence.

"I better get going or else I'll be late."_ Not that I minded. I just don't want to talk to you…actually, you are the first person who I have ever craved to talk to_, was what I thought silently to myself.

"Aren't you riding with us?"

"Uh, no. I like to walk." _Fuck walking! I hate it._

"It's freezing out here! You should ride with us before you catch pneumonia."

"I'm fine." _I'm never fine so just leave me alone._

"How come you don't have a car?"

"Because my parents thought it best if they gave Adam my Volvo as punishment."

"Why would they punish you?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

"Can we not talk right now? I'm not much of a morning person." _I'm hardly ever a person._

I stalked away from her, feeling that fucking guilt creep up inside my chest from blowing her off when she was just trying to be nice to me, especially since she's the only one who has ever done that to me before the incident. It wasn't the kind of pity nice either. I could tell that she really did want to get to know me better. But once she finds about me (I'm surprised no one's told her yet) she'll regret the time she's been wasting with me.

"Ok, yeah…um…sure. I guess I'll see you at school," Bella called out to me.

**BPOV**

There goes his mood swings again. Maybe it was just the weather bringing him down. I went back inside to retrieve my jacket. I gathered my book bag and munched on a granola bar, and then went to the garage to meet up with the boys. I saw Adam waiting in the front seat of the Volvo. I started to wonder if Carlisle and Esme played favoritism since Adam seemed to get everything, when Edward was only treated like some kind of pariah.

I sat in the back of the car next to Jasper and thankfully not next to Emmett. When we got to the school, all three of them scattered off with their friends, practically ditching me. I didn't have a clue where the office was too. I saw a group of girls sitting on top of their car hood, laughing at some unknown joke. They looked nice enough, so I went up to ask them.

"Excuse me, do you know where the office is?" A tall blond with too much make up looked me over, scrutinizing every inch of my face and body while smacking on her gum.

"What's your name?" she asked and ignored my question completely.

"Bella."

"Bella, are you new?"

"Yes, I just moved here from Arizona." The blonde whom I assumed was the leader of the two other girls, leaned her head close to a curly, brown hair with stubby legs, and whispered something into her ear. She did the same to a strawberry blonde who had the nicest and slender legs I've ever seen.

"The office is through the front doors. Make a right and it should the second door."

"Okay, thanks," I said.

"And also, at lunch, if you don't have anyone to sit with, sit with us." I nodded. I wasn't surprised at all that these gorgeous girls would want to me to eat lunch with them. _If_ they did eat anything at all because those girls were so damn skinny. Even though I wasn't as pretty or confident, I could still measure up to the popularity standards.

I followed her directions. I came up to a tiny room with a long, varnished desk that held a computer and papers. A plump woman with glasses from the 80s glanced up at me and gave me a smile showing her lipstick stained teeth.

"Can I help you dear?"

"Yes. I'm a new student here. My name is Isabella Swan."

She swirled her rolling chair around and opened up a file cabinet searching for something while muttering my last name.

"Aha! Here we are, Ms. Swan. This is your schedule and a map of the school. Hmm, I'm not sure if I grabbed the right one…oh well. Take this pink slip to the library for your textbooks," she said handing me three pieces of paper.

"Any questions?"

"No. Thanks for your help."

"Of course. Anytime, sweetie."

I studied my schedule as I walked through the halls. I had calculus with Mr. Griffone, history with Mr. Jefferson, English with Mrs. Marks, Spanish with Mr. Alderson, biology with Mr. Banner, and Painful Education with Coach Clapp. I made my way to calculus class and used the map to guide me. I entered the wrong room which was full of freshmen. I found out that the map given to me was for the school's layout twenty years ago.

I finally found the room and was only ten minutes late. Many of the students took interests in me and some were brave enough to talk to me. The only one person, who I met today, that I wanted to become good friends with, was Alice.

Alice was bold and very energetic which made her stand out from the rest. The way her midnight black hair spiked in different directions, and how high pitched she could scream reminded me of Kasey. I sat next to her in English and when she talked to me, I knew that she wasn't trying to get dirt on me. She and I just clicked like two long lost sisters.

We walked to the cafeteria together. I remembered that I had accepted the girls' offer to lunch.

"I got invited to sit with this one group. Would you like to go with me, Alice?"

"Sure. Which table are they at?" I scanned the sea of tables and then spotted them sitting at the cleanest one.

"That one over there," I said pointing. Alice looked in the direction of my finger and gasped.

"How did you ever land up with them?"

"Um…well, I talked to them this morning since my-so-called-brothers ditched me, and that's when they asked me. Why? Is there something wrong with them?"

"Something wrong with them? Everything is wrong with them! They're too frigging perfect! They eat and still have perfect bodies. They go out partying almost every night and they managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. They aren't even that friendly, but they're friends with the whole student body."

"Then how come you don't like them?"

"They're manipulative. They think that they own the school. Oh, and do you see that girl sitting in the corner with that other girl?" I looked over my shoulder and saw the most beautiful girl who had super model features. Her bleached blonde hair, matched her perfect, flawless skin. The girl next to her had glasses and was a brunette like me.

"Yeah, I see her."

"That's Rosalie Hale. She used to be the queen bee of this school. She was nice too, but had quite the temper. Those girls, who asked you to sit with them, Lauren, Tanya, and Jessica, used to be her best friends. They did everything together. Well, I guess there was some misunderstanding and things got out of control. Next thing you know Rosalie's a loner and turns little, nerdy Angela into some kind of fashion project. At least her boyfriend jock stayed with her. That's the only popular thing she's kept."

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm psychic." Not a bit of irony could be heard in her voice.

"Yeah and I'm the reincarnation of Cleopatra," I retorted with heavy sarcasm. I pondered over what she just said and now had no desire to talk to Lauren, Tanya, or Jessica again, but being the nice person I am, I didn't want to flake off on them.

"Really? You don't look Macedonian."

"Can't we just sit with them just for today so they don't think I blew them off?

"Sure, sure. Just best be on your guard." We approached them and sat down from across from them.

"Hello Bella and…Alexis," Lauren said.

"It's Alice."

"Whatever. So Bella how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How did you get the Cullens to take you in?" Jessica asked her face full of anticipation.

"My parents are friends with their parents." Her face fell due to the lack of uncreative details of my answer. I noticed Alice scowling at all three of them and I elbowed her side and mouthed her to knock it off. She rolled her eyes at me and shrugged.

"I think I'm going to go sit with Rosalie," she whispered into my ear and fled the table.

"Good-bye Malice!" Lauren said to her. I could tell she didn't do it on purpose, but how hard was it to remember someone's name?

"Bye Whore-in," Alice said quietly under her breath, too quiet for anyone but me to hear. It was silent and everything became uncomfortable. Tanya fumbled with her charm bracelet. I stared at her bracelet examining the charms. There was a turtle, dove, and a horse.

She noticed my staring and said," You like it? My dad gave it to me when I turned 13."

"It's pretty, what do the charms mean?"

"They represent all the happy moments in my life. I swam with sea turtles with my dad before he died. So when I see turtles it makes me sad because that's the last memory I'll ever have of my father. But it makes me happy too because I knew he loved me and that's why he took me to go. The dove stands for my mother's wedding. When she got married, she was so happy. Her wedding was a dove theme. And the horse is for when my sister fell off her horse and died." I raised my eyebrows at why she would be happy that her sister died. And I was also taken back about how down-to-earth Tanya was.

"Your sister's death was a happy moment for you?"

"She was my stepsister, never cared much for her. Always pretending to be such a nice girl, but I think she was pure evil."

"Don't talk with your mouth full Tanya," Lauren said breaking into our conversation. Tanya covered her mouth and blushed as Lauren criticized the way she was sitting and why she didn't use cover up for the zit on her forehead.

I sighed, bored now. I looked behind my shoulder and saw Edward sitting alone just listening to his iPod.

"Don't even think about talking to him. He's a waste of time. The only good thing that you can get out of him is by taking a photo of him and staring at it all day. Other than that, he's a total dick head," Lauren sneered.

"He seems perfectly fine to me. How come no one seems to like him?"

Jessica took this as her opportunity to spread the gossip now. Just as she was opening her mouth, Tanya cut in.

"It's not your place to tell, Jessica. We don't even know if the story you told us is true." Jessica pouted like a six year old.

"I know everything and I'm positive that he did do it." _Do what? _I begged in my mind for someone to spill the beans, but I bit my tongue. It's better if you heard whatever story going around by the person who experienced it firsthand instead of trusting the gossip around you.

The bell rang and I happily got up and walked to my next class. My table partner was missing in biology so I had to start our project by myself today. In P.E. we ran laps around the gym. I only tripped over my feet once. Soon the day was over and I was weary from all the drama that this school held.

I waited patiently for the Cullens to arrive at the parking lot. Emmett was the first one to come. He asked me about my day and I just told him it was very entertaining. Next was Adam, who I've learned from many others, was Fork's beloved prince. _Blah! _And then came Jasper, hand in hand with Alice.

"I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Seven and don't be late," Alice said glowing with contentment.

I watched them say good-bye to each other. Jasper goofily grinned and jumped up and down as she walked away.

"I think I'm in love," he said dreamly, his eyes fluttering close and his smile somehow got bigger.

"You never told me it was Alice. She's so perfect for you Jasper."

"You don't even know how perfect she is for me."

Adam flinched and cried, "Ewww! Enough of that lover boy. Cheesy stuff doesn't work well with me."

"You're just jealous that he's so in love. Unlike you, Jasper actually wants to be in a commitment. The only thing you'll ever be committed to is that cheeseburger diet," I said to him.

"You know it!" he exclaimed as if it was a good thing.

"Come on, let's go home."

We all got into the car and drove away from the school. Five minutes later, we passed by Edward's walking figure. I knew the others saw him too, but the car didn't even slow down or anything. They just sped by him as if he wasn't their brother. I didn't care about what anyone said about him, I just wanted to be his friend. Somehow I was going to break through that shield of his.

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**A/N: Have a happy weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine.**

**A/N: And also, I would like to thank you guys for making me feel better from the rather harsh comment posted on the review page. Here's the chapter that I promised you guys. No hilarity issues in this one :(

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**BPOV  
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The sun was almost going down and the beginning of the evening set in. I had sat on the porch steps for hours just doing my homework and reading. But my main purpose was waiting. I have been waiting for him to come home. I knew enough of his personality to know that he would have headed straight for his room, unless I got to him first. You could say that I was being clingy or pushy, but I really did want to know what went on in that little dome of his. A person is all it takes to give hope to the lost wanderer. So here I sat pathetically waiting for someone who may not even show.

Everyone was inside doing their own thing, not giving a care in the world where Edward was. They were kind people and seemed like a happy family, so why did they only have hatred for one?

"You know you're wasting your time," someone said behind me. I jumped up, startled.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's not coming, so don't bother trying to spike up a conversation with him. You should come to the movies with my friends and me instead."

"Why does everyone keep saying 'he's a waste of time'?" Lauren mentioned that at lunch I remembered.

"Because he is. So how 'bout that movie?"

"I'd rather kill puppies than spend time with you," I said and shoved passed his side. I walked into my room and turned on my laptop. I had six unread messages from my mom and Kasey.

**To: Bella**

**From: Mom**

China is so wonderful! The house is amazing and we eat duck practically every night! Your dad loves his promotion and he also sends his love to you. I wish you could have come with us. You still can come home if you want, just send the word. Love you, baby!

**To: Bella**

**From: Kasey**

HELLO! WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T YOU CALLED ME BACK? I'M WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE GUYS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND :(. DO I HAVE TO GO OVER THERE TO SNAP YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS? I'M SERIOUS! LOL! LOVE YA GIRL!

YOUR COOLEST, IMPATIENT FRIEND,

KASEY

Reading the emails sent shivers up my back and caused a bad case of home sickness inside me.

**EPOV** ( I have a habit with switching POV's)

Didn't she ever leave? It was like she was waiting for someone. I watched her from behind a bushy hedge. Every move she made enchanted me. The crease between her eyes when she was confused, the way she twirled the ends of her hair with a finger, or how she looked up to stare at the sky and the red sun flared across her delicate face. I should've headed out to the park or something, instead of acting like a fucking stalker. I rested my head on the bark of a tree and gazed at her appearance in the evening of the twilight lit heavens. The creak of the door broke the peaceful silence.

Looking back, I could see Adam talking to Bella. I don't know why, but there was this boiling pain in my chest. I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth. This emotion was like anger but more irrational. The only thing that made me a little bit relieved was the fact that she looked pissed to whatever he was saying. She got up and brushed against his shoulder roughly. His cocky self smirked and his eyes followed her back. I knew that look.

He likes her.

I never cared about the many girls Adam showed preference in, but right now, I just wanted to punch his face until the bruising became permanent. Fuck, this was so damn confusing! Why should I care if Adam got together with Bella? _Maybe because he wouldn't or ever deserve to have this beautiful ray of sunshine in his life_, was all I could come up with.

"What you doin' in the bushes, Edbug?" I glanced down and saw little Michael with his glass like eyes shining in the dark. Michael was probably my favorite brother. He had already forgiven me for what happened, but hid his kindness to me from the others. He influenced Ian to start being nicer to me though. The team of them helped me with some pranks that I played on the family when wanting payback.

"Nothing."

"Mama's worried 'bout you, you know?"

"Yes I know."

"Then why aren't you spending time with us anymore?" he said as his lower lip jutted out and trembled. Damn. Who knew the face of evil could be so cute.

"I don't like the way they treat me all the time, Michael, when ever I'm around them."

"Then tell them."

"That's what I've done. But no! They don't listen to me. No one does."

"I listen." His whisper was as soft as the breeze running through my hair.

"You listen when you want to listen. But you're never there when I truly need a friend! I bet you don't stand up for me when the others talk bad about me, do you?" He was quiet for a moment, and then walked away swiftly leaving me by myself once again. I immediately regretted those things I said, but I didn't have a time machine that could whip me back in time to erase all the wrong I've created for everybody. I furiously striked the oak tree five times, scratching my knuckles raw. Why couldn't I ever do a damn thing right? I kept pushing away the ones who loved me farther away. And I knew it, but I didn't care.

Now that the front door wasn't being barricaded, I walked up to my room and slammed the door shut. I plopped myself on to the bed and threw my backpack on the far side of the corner. My doorknob began to wobble and I heard a frustrated sigh from the other side.

"Edward, unlock this door right now," my mother spoke. I stayed in place, not willing to get up. Maybe she'll just think I'm asleep and leave.

"I know you're not asleep, I heard you come in earlier, so get off your butt right now and unlock this door before I get your father to unhinge it."

"What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you, Edward."

"I can hear you perfectly fine from here, so whatever you have to say, say it from there."

"Stop being stubborn. I don't want to talk to a door, I want to talk face to face with you, dear. This is important."

Grudgingly, I rolled off the bed and opened the door.

"There! Happy?"

"I don't like your tone."

"Then maybe we shouldn't talk after all," I said and started to close the door, but her arm pushed against it and she gave me _the_ _look_.

"Nope. We're going to have this conversation right here, right now. Unless you want to do it in front of your brothers." Okay, that was way worse than.

"Fine, speak."

"The school called just five minutes ago. They said you skipped class today…and they also said you've been doing that for the past month. You've been getting F's in all your subjects. You don't turn in homework or do your projects. Edward, I don't understand! Was I that bad of a mother? Did I not stay up all night practicing your ABC's with you in kindergarten? Did I not help you study for that science test you were freaking about in middle school? Did I not run to the craft's store to get you a poster for the last minute project you decided to do? Well I'm done with this! I'm done! I can't have you taking me for granted anymore. The next time you need something, ask someone else to get it for you because I am done with trying to be nice to you when you've been treating me like I'm the worst person in the world! I unplugged your computer and TV, and I just realized how that's not enough punishment. What else should I take away, hmm?" Her eyes scanned my room and spotted my iTouch dangling out of my backpack. She marched to it and snatched it up.

Damn that woman.

"Learn to fix your grades and you'll get this back. Actually, you'll get everything back when you start showing respect for this family. Until then Edward, you lost your privileges of having the necessities of life." And with that, she turned on her heels and went back down. I shut my eyes closed and cursed silently to myself. How could she do this to me! That iPod was my life!

I felt something warm and soft touch my hand. I cringed away involuntarily from the contact. Bella stood next to me with concern written on her face.

"Are you alright?" The clarity of her voice sounded like chimes clinking together in the wind, creating the soothing hum of bells.

"I'm fine." Any kind of fool could see that I was anything but fine. I waited for her to leave me, but she just stood there staring down at something.

"Your hand is bleeding."

"What?"

"Your hand, it's bleeding." I followed her gaze and saw a crimson flow of thick liquid dripping down to my finger tips. I meant to pull my hand under my jacket sleeve, but Bella grabbed it gently, careful not to touch the blood, and lead me to her bathroom.

"How did you get it cut up so badly?" Her voice shook slightly as she turned the faucet on and the cold water splashed on to my hand."

"Um…I punched a tree?" It sounded more like a question. She didn't acknowledge me for a moment, so I looked over at her. She was paler than usual and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her body suddenly went limp and I caught her just in time before she hit the floor.

"Bella?" Was she having an episode or something? Oh god, what do I do? I checked her pulse on her left wrist. There was nothing. Without thinking, I filled a soap bowl full of water and poured it upon her.

She sprung up and yelled," Shit! That's cold!" She wiped off the water from her face and peered down at her water stained shirt. "What happened?"

"You fainted. You didn't have a pulse and I had no idea what to do, so I got some water to wake you up. Sorry about that. Are you okay?" My sentences rammed into each other, and I wasn't sure if she heard me correct.

"Yeah, thanks. It's my fault. I have the tendency to faint when I see or smell blood. I'm surprised I didn't get woozy from the first second I spotted it though." If she went weak at the knees at the sight of blood, then why did she try to help me?

"Why did you help me then?"

"Because I wanted to." For a moment, our eyes connected. I stared into the deep depths of brown that never seemed to end, and my insides melted like butter on hot oven baked bread. It made me want to spill out all my jumbled up secrets to this girl, whom I didn't know anything about except that she had this magnetic force that pulled me towards her.

"And I kind of heard Esme…um…yell at you." Well that ruined the moment. Of course, that was why she was talking to me. She was buried in pity for me. I didn't need that. I got enough of that already. I remembered my original plan, and it was the only thing that I could use to dodge another heart break.

"I don't need your pity." Her face scrunched up in confusion from the sudden mood change.

"I don't pity you, I just-"

"Save it. I'm not a charity case. Hang out with Adam or those Barbie dolls, I don't give a shit." I left her on the bed as the hurt swept over her head. Truth is I didn't mean that. Lies were the only thing that I heard come from my mouth. And I prayed (Hehe, not really) for some kind of miracle to pull me out of the dark pit of my burning hell.

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**A/N: Hopefully this was worth the wait. Review and I will love you forever! Check out my new story too!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Twilight.**

**A/N: Hello! This chapter is mostly just a filler. The songs that this chapter is base on are:**

_**I'm Sticking With You by Addison Road**_

_**I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders**_

**Try listening to them and see if they fit the story!  
**

**BPOV**

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**I sat on my bed wondering what I did. Did I say something wrong? Did he really think that I think he's a charity case? He was so complex and cryptic, not in a good way. Just when I thought he was going to open up to me, he gets all frigging pissy on me. But I understood him. The way Esme talked to him, made it sound like she completely gave up on him. Even though he PMS like a bitch, that didn't mean _I_ would give up on him. I still wanted to be his friend.

Taking my mind off of it, I decided to hang out with the other guys. Emmett was eating popcorn and watching some action flick. Ian and Michael were playing with a BB gun, unsupervised. Who knows what they were planning to do with that.

"What are you guys planning to do with that BB gun?" I asked them, hoping it wasn't some kind of prank they were going to play on me later.

"We're gonna shoot Jack with it," Michael answered.

"Who's Jack? Is it a friend at your school? You know violence is not the answer, right?"

"Of course I know that violence ain't the answer, but that didn't stop humanity from it, did it?" Ian smirked at me, clearly putting me without a witty combat. "By the way, Jack is the possum who likes to hang out on our fence at night." I nodded my head, and sat on the couch next to Emmett.

"Hey, Em. Where is everyone?" It was just him and the twins down here.

"Adam is at the movies and Jasper is getting ready for his hot date." Someone on the TV screen got his head hacked off with blood gushing out. Emmett started laughing while I grimaced.

"How do you find that funny? It's so gross."

"Did you see how the guy called his son's name for no reason, and then the son turns around right when the bad guy decides to behead him. Totally gay, if you ask me." Jasper popped out in front of us and folded the collar of his sleeves.

"How do I look?" he asked and smoothed out his hair back.

"Um…you look nice." He smiled, his pores radiating with confidence.

"_Oooh_, big boy got a date tonight. You gonna go home to the monkey in the bush? You gonna twirl the baton tonight?" teased Emmett. Jasper grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him.

Once Jasper left, Emmett and I continued to watch the movie until I told him to change it to something more uplifting. We both agreed on American Idol since the auditions are hilarious to watch. Then we both called it a night and headed upstairs.

The next morning was pretty much the same. I took a ride with the guys while I listened to their obnoxious and sexist jokes. They ditched me again, but I was fine with that since I had Alice. But then Jasper stole her away from me, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot. Lauren called me over when she spotted me. I talked to her and made conversation, which really isn't hard to do since all she liked talking about was how many clothes she owned, how hot a boy was, or how hot she is. But being me, I was used to hanging with the popular crowd and didn't mind her company so much. Jessica joined us later and gave us a full out detailed story of how she saw a teacher making out with a student. Just talking to them made me lose IQ points. I gladly fled from them once the bell rang.

My classes were pretty much uneventful except for my calculus class when some guy hit on me when I was finishing up my work. I didn't know his name, but he had black, greased hair and a bad case of acne.

"My love for you is like diarrhea. I can't hold it in for you," is what he said to me. Awkward...I would have burst out laughing if hadn't been directed to me. Hopefully he'll take a hint from my grimace and leave me alone. In English, Alice told me about her date with Jasper. She said how he took her to see a fireworks show they were having near the lake and how he danced the tango with her.

We had lunch together again, but this time we sat with Rosalie and Angela. Rosalie was surprisingly sweet. I could tell though it was all an act though, and the pain shown through her eyes. Her friend, Angela, was shy, kind of how I was like a few years ago. The way she shifted uncomfortably in her mini skirt told you that Rosalie forced her into it.

My partner skipped biology class again, leaving me to do all the work. Luckily, Mr. Banner felt sorry for me and had a girl named Leah work with me since she was partner less too. When I was writing notes, I could feel someone rubbing the back of my left hand. I look around and see Leah touching my hand. Okay…very awkward.

"Leah?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you touching my hand?"

"Your hands are soft." She didn't remove her hands from mine still and I immediately felt uncomfortable. Great, so I guess I'm not so lucky after all. In P.E. we played human Foosball and I ended up getting squished by the forty pound ball. Geez, what a hectic day.

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By the end of the week, I was really tired and ready to sleep off the week, but the guys had other plans in mind. While Carlisle and Esme were away on their anniversary, they were going to throw a party. Once they left, they made me clean the house like I was some sort of maid while they just set out snacks and beers they got from somewhere.

The guests started arriving and things got wild. You could feel the body heat in the air and you couldn't move without being pressed up against someone else's body. Drunken laughs and yelling filled the house and music blasted from a stereo where I had no idea where it came from. All the party excitement made me have to use the restroom. I tried opening my door but it was locked. Then I pounded on the single bathroom which happened to be locked too. Then I went to Edward's door.

"Hey, Edward? Can you let me in? I really, really need to go pee! I have to use your bathroom because the other ones seem to be occupied right now." He opened the door and gave me a crooked smile when he saw me bouncing up and down, clamping my legs together tightly. I ran past his side to his bathroom, not caring what I looked like.

After I was done, I walked out and took a glance at his room. It was painted black. Hmm, very emo like. Posters of _Taking Back Sunday_ and _Nirvana_ hung on his walls. A keyboard and acoustic guitar were in the corner of his room. He had an amazing number of CD's on shelves.

"Like what you see?"

"Yeah. Your room is very interesting. Oh, and thanks for letting me use your bathroom."

"It's no problem. People these days make themselves right at home without being asked to." I nodded thinking about all the crazy kids jumping on the leather couches and going through the food in the refrigerator. "You're not much of a party person, are you?"

"No not really. To tell you the truth, I'd rather spend my time locked up in here with you then going out there," I laughed nervously and was embarrassed for declaring that so boldly.

"While you're here, I wanted to apologize for the way I snapped at you the other day. I was being a dickhead."

"Yeah. You were." He laughed at my response which sent my heart in flutters. The air of the room alleviated and I gained enough courage to ask him if I could stay in here with him. He looked greatly conflicted and seemed to being going through a silent argument with himself when I asked. I was about to say forget it, but he allowed me to stay in. I laid on his bed and looked up at the TV screen to see it on.

"I thought your mom unplugged your things."

"Michael, he's a tech wizard. He can do all kinds of things for me. So don't tell my mother about this." He looked so cute when he begged.

"Of course I won't! I wouldn't want to get poor Michael into trouble now because of _your_ naughty and rather rebellious actions," I joked. "Where are Ian and Michael by the way? They're obviously not here."

"They're staying at a friend's house."

"Oh." I turned my attention back to the TV screen and realized Grey's Anatomy was playing."

"Grey's Anatomy?" I scoffed.

"What?" he shrugged. "I happen to get a kick out of these girl's shows. After this, it's Gossip Girl. Care to watch it with me," he raised his eyebrows at me waiting for an answer. I was overjoyed that he actually wanted to spend some time with me. So I told him yes and we both sat down together. During the shows, we talked. We talked about random things like who we wanted for president or how melted gummy bears taste the best. I noticed how he avoided a few subjects that revolved around family and swimming topics. I had to change the subject when he cringed when I said the word 'swimming pool.' So I decided to vent out my frustrations in school.

"The Barbie Crew keeps trying to recruit me, and they seem to corner me down whenever they get the chance too. And Mr. Pick Up Line keeps trying to pursue me. Yesterday he said 'Ever since I met you, you lived in my heart without paying rent.' And what's worse, my biology partner missed class this whole week leaving me with Leah!" Recognition flashed in Edward's eyes when I said her name and he chuckled.

"She likes to touch people's hands," he said and shook his head, smiling that smile again.

"She did that to you too?"

"Yep, who isn't a victim of hers?"

"She even smells my hair!" He choked on his Dr. Pepper when I spoke.

"She asks me everyday if my hair smells good today and she just begins to sniff it and says 'Strawberry.' I can't wait till my partner comes back. I need someone sane to work with me." And we continued like that. None of his mood swings were present, which I happily appreciated. I liked talking to him. Sometimes he would listen instead of injecting all his thoughts. He let me speak without interrupting unlike his brothers. And I told him that.

"I like talking to you. You make me feel like so…significant."

"Well, I like listening to you. Sometimes, it's better to just listen instead of trying to let all your problems out to someone." I guess I looked into too much of what he said and began just splurging what I thought.

"But sometimes you need to let out all your feelings and fears too. You can't hold everything in. You have to have an avid listener too. And that's what I am. Whatever you confess to me, it will never make me like you less or hate you more. I'm here for you as long as you let me see you through. I'm sticking with you no matter what, so next time you get all temperamental with me, don't be afraid that I'm going to leave you. I won't give up on you, Edward because I know how much it hurts. To have everybody give up on you when you're so confused and scared and lonely." His eyes were watery, enhancing the greenness of them.

"You don't know me. Once you do, you'll find some sense again." I shook my head at what he said.

"You're right. I don't know you, but I could, if you help me to learn."

"I will help you learn, but I'm not ready to tell you everything."

"And that's fine, just as long as you don't cramp up all those things floating around in your head." His dazzling, crooked smile didn't fail yet me as he flashed it up to me. We fell asleep together from chatting the night away, while the blaring stereo downstairs continued to play.

* * *

**A/N: I have a cousin named Leah and she does that all the time to me, so I dedicate this chapter to her for being so weird yet lovable. I also dedicate this chapter to Jack the Possum. He's real and he creeps me out, but at least he keeps my dogs busy. Emmett's dialogue also comes from one of my favorite shows. If you have any recommendations for music, tell me. Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight...**

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! The songs for the chapter is**

_**Tragedy by Brandi Carlile**_

_**&**_

_**I Hate Everyone by Get Set Go **for Edward's perspective of life._

Try listening to them when you get a chance to!

**

* * *

BPOV**

I woke up to an earsplitting crash. I jolted up, not remembering where I was, and found another body laying next to mine. I grinned lazily as I recalled last night where Edward let down his guard slightly. I moved from my place quietly and went to check up on the noise that had caused me to wake from my slumber.

Emmett and Adam were cleaning up a messy living room. The crystal vase that Esme had displayed from Europe was on the floor, shattered into millions of pieces. I was about to scold them until I saw their faces. They looked like they haven't slept in weeks and their eyes were all red. Their faces were coated in sweat and you could smell the body odor coming from them. That's why I stay away from alcohol. All it causes are hangovers, car accidents, and pregnancy testing.

"You guys look like hell."

Adam scowled at me and mumbled something unintelligible. "Thanks. You look like you got a peaceful night, so why don't you be a doll and clean this shit up for us."

"No can do. You wanted this party, you pay the consequences," I shot back and was mad at the way he talked to me. I skipped pass their sides and walked out the front door.

"Where are you going, Bella?" Emmett asked me.

"I think I'm going to take a walk." As I stepped out, the absolute freshness of the air wafted through my nose. Today was actually sunny and only the grass was wet with dew. It was nice to get out of the house since it was all chaos in there. I strolled along for about ten minutes when I reached a park with big trees and a tiny playground area. A few kids swung on the swings, while a couple of them played in the sand. I spotted Ian and Michael playing with a blonde boy. They had marshmallow guns and fired at each other as they dodged and ducked behind the jungle gym. I laughed out loud as they ganged up on the blonde boy. They noticed me and turned their heads around and began smirking.

"Hey Bella! Wanna play with us? We promise we'll go easy on you," Ian said teasingly.

"Uh…no thanks." There was no way that I was playing with them. I'll never underestimate little boys with adorable faces again.

"That's okay. We run out of marshmallows anyway. Would you like to meet our friend?"

"Sure."

"Okay, well this here is Mike Newton. He's in the third grade like us." I looked down at Mike and smiled sweetly at him. He was short with spikey hair and lovely, blue eyes.

"Hello Mike."

"You're pretty…" he said in a dreamy and far away voice. Ian and Michael snorted skeptically as I rocked back on my heels awkwardly.

"Thanks. You're quite the charmer yourself."

Ian coughed and said," Mike? Do us all a favor and close your mouth before you kill us with a tsunami of your drool." He ignored Ian and kept staring at me.

"Will you marry me?" I couldn't help but chuckle as he gazed up at me, expecting an answer. He was such a cute, little half pint!

"Maybe when you turn 20 and grow an extra two feet. Then I'll marry you, but why don't we just be friends for now?" He nodded and didn't look sad at all. He was looking forward to his twentieth birthday for sure.

"I'll wait for you, my darling." I shook my head at his silliness. Then the twins and I headed back home. They told me about their sleepover and how they got caught drawing on Mike's butt with a permanent marker while he was sleeping by Mrs. Newton. She wasn't willing to take care of them again the next time the Cullens threw a party.

"I'm home! I picked Ian and Michael up at the park!" I called out and then gasped at the sight I saw. Piles of paper plates and empty beer bottles were left on the counter as well as the shattered glass of the Esme's now broken vase. The house was still a mess after I was gone for thirty minutes! I spotted Emmett and Adam sitting on the couch eating cold pizza while watching a football game.

"Why is everything still a pig's sty in here?"

"Oh, hey Bella! I didn't hear you come in. What did you say?" Emmett said while stuffing his face with his food.

"I said why haven't you guys cleaned up yet? You can't just leave broken glass out like that. Someone could cut themselves which means blood, which leads me to fainting. How hard is it to throw all of this out? I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out and you don't need to be a weight lifter to just carry out the trash once in a while or…" I babbled away as I got down on my knees and began using a sweeper and dust bin to pick up the sharp pieces of glass, and stuffed the paper plates into a white plastic bag. Then I threw it out back into a larger trash bin and went back inside the house. "You have to take responsibility some time later or soon or else you'll end up having a trashy apartment when you grow up. Do you want that? I don't think anyone does…" I said as I washed oily dishes in the sink and scraped off a gunk of gum on the counter. I straightened out a picture frame and wiped the stove and counters with Clorox. "You can't expect everyone else for cleaning stuff up for you. How will that teach you anything?" I stacked the food up neatly in the refrigerator that was knocked down. "You wouldn't want your future wives to think you're slobs. I mean look at this mess!" They both turned their heads around to look at the kitchen and living room.

"It doesn't look messy to me. Wow, we did a good job at cleaning! Thanks Bella!" and they both paid their attention back to the TV. I did a double look at the house and realized that everything was indeed in order. There was no trace of a party ever being held here. Did I do all that while I was talking? I wasn't even aware of my own actions. What a hypocrite I was. I tell them that they have to learn how to take care of themselves, and then I go and tidy up their home for them. I groaned and headed upstairs, ready to spill my guts out to a certain someone.

* * *

**EPOV**

I had_ the bestest,_ not best, dream ever. I dreamt of Bella knocking on my door to use the restroom. She stayed in my room with me instead of going back down to party with those crazy, drunken kids who call themselves mature. She forgave me for snapping at her earlier. We watched chick shows together and if I wasn't mistaken, she found that completely hot. But most importantly, she talked to me and didn't treat me like a pariah. It was all in my head of course, but I clung on to that made up memory of mine as if it was all I had to live for. I could have sworn it was real, but when I woke up, I woke up alone with just the black walls closing down in on me. That's what I get for dreaming though. At least I didn't dream of those nightmares again.

The warmth of the sun touched my skin and its vibrant light played across my pale arm. Have you ever had those mornings when something felt right? You couldn't just put your finger on it. You wake up all confident and…h-happy. Like when you get on the ride at Disneyland that sings 'It's A Small World After All' when you were a little child that only knew ignorance and innocence. That was what kind of morning I was having. I actually liked waking up to that.

I didn't want to stay in my room today…wow, that's a first. I really wanted to enjoy the sun while I could. I just had to sneak past the guys. I could hear Bella talking to Emmett and Adam while their faces were glue to a football game. I don't think they were listening to her. She banged cabinets around as she grabbed spray cleaners and paper towels to rub the counters sparkly.

"You have to take responsibility some time later or soon or else you'll end up having a trashy apartment when you grow up. Do you want that? I don't think anyone does. If you don't break out of this habit, you'll grow up living in a life of despair, buried in a pile of dirty laundry or whatever it is you pile up in the corner of your room. I started taking care of myself and doing the chores when I was in kindergarten. You guys should do the same if you want to be successful in life instead of staring blankly at the TV screen as if it's some sort of treasure. Have you ever read _The Wretched Stone _by Chris Van Allsburg? It's about a sail crew who stares at a stone for a long time and turn into monkeys. He based that book on the negative impact of the television. He's right of course, but men turn into couch potatoes instead of monkeys. Are you guys even listening to me?" she asked them not taking her eyes off the stove she was wiping.

They answered with a grunt and she continued on with her banter. She was telling them that they can't have people do everything for them, yet she's fixing up the disastrous party aftermath. I would have helped her out, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I also had to remind myself that last night never really happened so she and I were still not on good terms. She then drew herself to a close and realized what she had done. The expression on her face was cute and enjoyable to stare at. She looked like the mouse from Tom and Jerry when he was angry. My so called brothers didn't pay the least attention to her fuming which made her eyes grow darker. I couldn't help but admire the scene with amusement. Then she started walking up the stairs. I didn't want to be caught eavesdropping, so I raced back into my room and closed the door silently as possible. A light tap sounded on my door.

"Edward? Are you awake yet? Can I talk to you for a second?" I was shocked that she wanted to talk to _me_. I didn't deserve to talk to such a forgiving creature, but I didn't want to keep her waiting. I opened the door and was greeted by her warm presence that was warmer than the sun. She didn't smell like strawberries today, but like Windex. She had a weak smile pasted on to her face that still glowed red. She brushed passed my side and sat in my computer chair, not waiting for me to ask her to come in. I was again shocked at how she made her entrance. She seemed to be comfortable around me. That couldn't just happen over night, could it?

"I can't stand them! I'm sorry if I offend you by saying this, but I hate your brothers!" _Nope, you didn't offend me. I hate them too._ "They drive me bananas when ever I'm around them. They are the most sexist and laziest guys I have ever met! They're cocky and selfish. They have no respect for me or your parents." I thought it was me who disrespected the family. "I expected craziness, but I didn't expect to have to be the one to trail along their sides and fan them with a leaf! You're the only sane one in this family. Actually, no. You have these crazy mood swings. Like right now, you're acting as if you're not comfortable with me. Last night, you were pretty cozy around me. You opened up to me, and you let me see who the real Edward is. But now-." I pressed her lips together with my fingers and stopped her sudden outburst. She looked down at my callous hand and I removed it quickly away from her soft lips. I didn't like the awkward tension, and luckily remembered what I was going to say.

"That really happened? It wasn't a dream? You were here…with me last night?" She gave me a strange look and she finally understood why I was behaving oddly right now. She giggled, a sweet ring to my ears.

"That wasn't a dream silly willy. Why else would I be dumping all my troubles on you? We were open and honest last night which led to conversations, and those conversations led to us being friends." She said that as if it was the most obvious answer. I felt my heart pump a little faster and my mind became ecstatic with joy as she said the word friend. I hadn't had one of those in a long time. My lips pulled up into a goofy grin as I thought about having a friend again. Someone who I could confide in and share all the big or small secrets that I kept from the world and even from myself. Someone who would whisper soothing words to me when I felt like crying. Or when ever I was feeling the least bit suicidal, I would think of that friend and it would be a reminder that there was something worth living for.

"Are you okay?" she asked me in a worried voice. She was worried. About _me_. That felt nice to find someone who did cared for you.

"I'm fine. It's just nice to have a friend again." She pursed her lips together thinking about what I said. I didn't have to be psychic to know what was coming next.

"Edward, why don't you have any friends?" I was hesitant at answering her. She saw my hesitation and quickly reformed her question. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I understand. We just became friends within a day and you're not ready. I totally get that," she added with a shake of her head.

She was wrong about that. The thing was that I was ready to tell her. I just didn't want to. I was afraid of her reaction after I told her what was wrong with me. But it was time to take risks. I trusted Bella already, I just wanted her to trust me. And I was going to trust that her trust was just as strong as mine.

"Meet me in my room at midnight and I'll tell you. I want to talk to you while everyone is sleeping. Is that okay?" I asked looking hopefully at her and pleaded silently that she would reject my offer and just go back to more general topics. She bit on her lower lip as she nodded. My chest tightened as my nerves became alert of what was to come at midnight. To distract my mind, I came up with a different subject.

"So you hate my brothers?"

"Yeah, but Jasper is the only one who is on my good side. He never seems to make a rude or snarky comment to me unlike Emmett or Adam."

"I'm flabbergasted that you didn't drop to the ground and kiss the royal pain in the ass's ass that everyone seems to love," I said referring to Adam.

"He is kind of cute, but jack ass isn't much of my type. Besides, I'm already engaged." My eyebrows furrowed at this and I wondered why that pain in my chest started to appear. How could she be engaged? She was only seventeen like me. Was it a planned engagement or something? I don't recall her ever mentioning she had a boyfriend. She ignored my curious expression and smirked instead.

"You're engaged?"

"Yes, why I just met him in the park today. It was love at first sight." Just today? Was she trying to fuck with me?

"Are you shitting me?"

"Why? What's wrong with that, Edward?"

"You can't just meet someone somewhere and know that there your soul mate. That only exists in fairy tales. And the true love at first sight is a load of shit. That only happens when you see someone attractive walk by. And the whole true love thing is something created by man used to corrupt the minds of this world. It either drives you crazy or it destroys you, leaving behind the pile of your ashes." She gave me that concerned look again. I was foolish for saying stuff like that. Now she probably thinks I have love problems.

"Sounds like you have an issue with love." Right on the dot.

"Yeah, I do. Want to know why?" She gave a little wave of her hand and gestured me to go on. "Did you know that 50% of marriages are most likely to end up with a divorce? Did you also know that 60% of deaths are caused by a person who gets mad at their spouse and ends up killing them? I do have an issue with it, even if it's described as the most powerful and best feeling in life, because it scares the hell out of me. As much as love heals or saves people's hearts, it also kills you physically or mentally. So how could you not have an issue with it?"

"Because it's worth it, whether if it does kill you or not. It's a once in a lifetime chance that you have to take and learn to trust. It's not just a feeling, Edward. It's a natural instinct. It's how we humans are built. We need it just as much as we need air or water. It's a shelter that's able to hide us from our fears, but shows you how to face it in the end. So don't you be dissing it. And by the way, me and my newfound hubby disagree with you."

"I don't believe you have a hubby," I replied growing irritated with the game she was playing on me.

"Yes, I do."

"What's his name then?"

"Mike Newton, of course. Who else do you think it is? He's the only guy-I mean boy out there for me." She was definitely trying to fuck with me. I snorted and rolled my eyes at her silliness. I got all fussed up over a nine year old, my little brothers' playmate that they liked to torture when they got bored.

"You're so absurd, Bella."

"I may be silly, but I'm not the one who can't tell between reality and a dream." She got me there. We both laughed together. I was so in tune and in sync with her; it was like I finally found the missing puzzle piece to my life.

"Hey, did you maybe…um…want to go to the beach with me?" she sounded so vulnerable at asking me to hang out with her. I wouldn't ever miss a chance to be with her.

"I'd like that." I flashed a smile at her that I knew made her skip a heart beat.

* * *

**BPOV**

I ate my dinner with haste. I was going to take a shower and get ready for Edward's confession moment. I was glad, yet surprised, that he was ready to share this one thing that I was dying to know about. None of the others notice my quirkiness, which was good. No one knew of my alliance with Edward, and I'm guessing he liked it that way. He didn't want anymore people discussing him behind his back. That was the way he felt most safe in.

This time, Esme and I did not fight over washing the dishes. I got up rushingly, putting my dish in the sink and raced ahead to the shower. I didn't even pay attention to the details of Carlisle's and Esme's honeymoon vacation.

I scrubbed and rinsed my hair and body, and almost fell down flat on my butt due to the dangerous swiftness of my movement. I dressed in something more appropriately for a secret midnight rendezvous. Then I blow dried my hair. I still had some time to kill and began reading my reading book for English class. I impatiently glanced up at the clock. It was only nine o'clock. Too early still. He said he wanted everyone else to be asleep when we would meet. I could still hear the boys playing video games in Emmett's room. Maybe if I get them to bed sooner, I can go to Edward earlier.

I got off my bed and walked over to Emmett's room. Ian and Michael were watching Adam splatter Jasper's character in the game with bullet shots and daggers while Emmett waited impatiently for his turn to play. Sorry about this boys, but payback is a bitch. I marched over to the wires and grabbed and pulled it out which caused the screen to go blank.

"What the hell was that for? We were playing!" Adam yelled at me with frustration.

"You need to go to bed, pronto or else I'm going to bust a cap." They stared at me in confusion. "Seriously, go to bed. How do you expect to get some beauty rest if you go to bed at nine? You know why all little kids look so cute? Because they all go to bed at eight and they get their beauty rest so you should probably get yours if you want the all the girls to still flaunt themselves to you."

"Are you alright, Bella? You've been acting weird all day," Jasper asked me and put the back of his hand to my forehead feeling for a temperature. I shook his hand off.

"I'm fine! But you won't be if you don't go to bed right now! Now scoot your boot and move it!" They all exchanged looks and shrugged their shoulders as they went towards their rooms.

"I think dad's friend has a crack head for a daughter," I heard Ian whisper to Michael and they both nodded in agreement. The lights of all rooms went out and peace finally arrived to the night. I crept back into my room and waited for about twenty minutes before going to Edward's. It was only nine thirty. Great, I saved myself a lot of anxiety. The boy's snores interrupted the peace which made me feel more reassured that no one would notice me sneaking around at night. A soundlessly as possible, I opened Edward's door and walked in as I closed it behind me carefully.

"Bella? What are you doing here so early?" His face showed me how nervous he was now that I was here.

"The whole household is asleep so I thought it would be okay to talk now. Is that okay?"

"Um, yeah. I was just practicing how to break the news to you, but it's not going so well. I guess I'll just be blunt about it. Ripping the band aid off is better then peeling it slowly, right?" He fumbled with the hem of his shirt and his eyes were transfixed on to the floor. I felt bad for looking forward to tonight when he was sweating like a pig. I did what I had to do and took hold of his hand in mine. The feeling of his hand made me feel safe even though his skin was cracked up and cold. He looked up at me and took a deep breath and closed his eyes and parted his lips to speak. No words came out. I really, really wanted to know this secret, but I wanted to be considerate of his feelings too. I was about to tell him that he didn't have to tell me, but his velvety voice spoke words that stunned me.

"I had a sister, did you know that?" I shook my head no. "My mother had her before the twins. Her name was Melody. You guys had the same brown eyes, the eyes that keep haunting me. It's funny how the world works. It's like it likes to rub your troubles in your face all the time. When you came, I thought hell had leaked on to earth." I tilted my head to the side, not sure what he was trying to say to me. What did any of these things have to do with why he was so depressed and hated? As if he could read my mind, he said," You probably don't understand what I'm saying. Your eyes remind me of her which I thought would cause me some bad memories." He sighed. "I'm not good at explaining things…let's put it this way. You wonder why I don't have any friends, right?" I nodded. "Would you want to be friends with a murderer? I know if I were you, I wouldn't want to be friends with me."

"What are you talking about, Edward?"

"Have you ever been baptized, Bella? I know Melody was before she died." He laughed dryly and grinned like a mad man. "Have you ever watched one of those African missionary documentaries on Discovery Channel? I know I watched it before I watched Melody die."

"What are you trying to say to me Edward?" I asked and gripped his arms and shook them slightly.

"Do you want me to spell it out for you, Bella? I. Killed. My. Sister." He waited for me to speak, but went ahead when he read me speechless. "I drowned her in the very swimming pool in our backyard." I chewed the sides of my cheeks. I wasn't sure if I should get up and leave him in his distraught form or stay here with him.

"How old were you when you…when that happened." My voice trembled a little and I let go of Edward's arms and shifted farther away from his side. I think he noticed because his green eyes met mine and he glared which caused me to cringe.

"I was eight. She was only two years old, a great advantage for me." He was eight, usually the consciousness of a child's mind develops before that, but maybe Edward didn't really know what he was doing.

"How did you…drown her exactly?"

"We were watching Discovery Channel and saw an African Missionary episode. They were baptizing people in the water. I wanted to try it, but no one was around except for little Melody. My mind was made up about using her as my little guinea pig. So I led her to the pool. I told her what I was going to do, and being the naïve little girl she was, she agreed with me. If she had said no, I wouldn't have done it, but she didn't say no. She said yes. I was a curious person and I wanted to do every little stunt that I saw or heard of. But curiosity killed the cat.

When I watched the African baptism ceremonies, I noticed how they dunk their whole bodies in the water. So I did it that way. I stood over the edge of the pool and held her body close to the surface. I remembered how her hair spread out in the water. Then I dunked her body in. Once her head hit the waters, she began to thrash around. She hit my side and it made me drop her completely. I watched as she flailed her arms out trying to push up from the bottom. I was too in shock to help her, but that's no excuse. I watched her arms start to fatigue and sink down deeper.

When I finally came to my senses, I ran to my father for help. I followed him back to the pool and we found her body floating on top of the black waters. She was so pale and I could only see the back of her head. My father carried her out and put her on the floor. He started CPR on her. My mother heard the commotion and saw the scene spill out before her. She called an ambulance. Melody's eyes were open and I thought that meant she was alive. But then I saw how her chocolate brown eyes were empty. There was no life in them.

Then my mother began to go in labor due to the stress that I had caused. She was seven months pregnant with Michael and Ian. The ambulance picked up both my mother and sister. My father drove me to the hospital. Adam and Emmett both were at a soccer game, and Jasper wasn't with us yet. My father yelled at me for being so foolish. He said that he loved me no matter what happens though.

When we got to the hospital, we learned that my sister was dead. Then my mother had given birth to the twins already, but there was a complication with Ian. He wasn't getting any oxygen up to his brain so they had to perform surgery on his head to release the pressure that blocked out it out. He tells everyone that he got his scar from being bitten by a dog because my mom didn't want any attention drawn to him, but he got that from surgery. He got that from me. I created a domino effect, one problem after another fell down into my family's lives. It was my entire fault and I accepted that.

But when Emmett and Adam heard what happened, they didn't exactly comfort me. No one did. They played pranks on me like put worms in my bed while I was sleeping or lit the guitar on fire I received from Christmas from my parents. They even would tie me up to a chair and hold me still and wrote _MURDERER_ on my forehead. I told my father this and he didn't do anything. He let Emmett and Adam do all these crazy things to me as punishment. When I finally had enough, I tackled both of them. That doesn't go so well when they're twice the size of you. I came out of a fight with my own brothers with a split lip, a broken nose, and a concussion. My mother took me to the hospital and I told her what I have been going through and all she said to me was, "I'm sorry Edward, but you brought all these troubles upon yourself."

As I turned ten, Jasper joined our family and decreased the war going on in our house. My parents didn't want to make a bad impression with him, so my father finally told Emmett and Adam to stop their fights with me. They did stop, but continued to treat me cruelly. Jasper saw this and began to pity me. He was kind to me, but when he found out what I did from Adam, he began to ignore me, and only said hello, bye, or thank you to me. Then my mom and dad kept the twins away from my presence. They would not let me near them. When I turned twelve, they let me around them a little more often. Ian was kind of like a clone of Emmett or Adam in a way. He was talkative and bratty. Michael was more quiet and calmer so I was closer to him, but he never sticks up for me when the others talk about me behind my back.

At school, my brothers were forbidden to talk about the incident. I was popular and felt like I finally belonged somewhere at school. But they held on to their limitations until we entered high school. Adam blabbed to the whole school on the first month of high school about what I did. So everybody in this small town of Forks know that I'm just some psycho teen who wasn't put in jail for his sins.

I got everything taken from me. I had no friends, no car, no comfort, or no family left to guide me. All I have is myself and my iPod that my mother just took away from me. So now I don't even have music to comfort me. All I have is myself and the sins forever taunting me. It's funny how the world works. It brings you, Bella, into my life, only to tear you out in a brief moment. I thought that maybe you were different from the others, but everybody is the same. It's how we humans are built. If there is an individual out there who is different, then people think they should be treated differently. I can tell what you're thinking about me because your face is scrunched up in disgust. This happens a lot. I'm asked to share my feelings and I end up getting put down. I know what I am, but I don't need reminding every day. I've said sorry a million times, but I know that won't bring my sister back to life. But what I don't know is why everyone immediately assumes that I'm the bad guy. I don't get why my father says he loves me no matter what and then lets his other sons tear me apart. I don't know why I have to live life if there's nothing to live for."

It was dead quiet as I stared at his face reading every expression that ran across him. His eyes were closed and it did not escape my notice when a tear slid down his cheek. Edward did feel sorry about what happened. He tried to forgive himself, but the others wouldn't let him. If it was anyone's fault for Edward being the way he was today, it would be his family's. He was indeed foolish for doing what he did, but when is an eight year old kid ever not foolish? He didn't deserve to be rained on. He deserved to have a friend who would make him regain his self-esteem. In the beginning, I said I would get past his shield and become his friend. I did just that and I had no intention of being a hypocrite again.

I lifted my palm and up to his face and wiped away that loner tear. His head shot up and his eyes asked me silent questions. I went closer to his body and stared into those eyes that seemed dead, but blazed with hope. I sighed and whispered his name. I wrapped my arms around him and pushed his chest against mine. His body was stiff for a moment, but relaxed into my hug. He laid his head on my left shoulder and began to cry. He let out the pain he'd been bearing for all those years and showed me the truth about how he felt in the inside of his heart. I stroked his head as he made small gasps and whimpers. Have you ever heard the saying, yawning is contagious? Well the same goes for crying. Seeing Edward's tear stained face made me want to hold him closer and shed some tears myself. He gripped my hips as he poured out his hurt.

"It's okay. I won't leave you," I whispered into his ear as I squeezed him tighter.

"You don't hate me?" he mumbled against my shoulder, his voice thick with exhaustion and sadness. I pulled back from his hold to see his face. His eyes were down casted on to the bed, but I could tell how red and puffy they were.

"Look at me, Edward," I said. He ignored my demand and stayed still in his position. I boldly placed my hands on the sides of his head and raised it up. He finally made eye contact with me and I frowned at how distraught looking he was.

"Everybody can hate you. You can hate yourself, but I can never hate you. You didn't know better. You were just eight years old. What's done is done and no one should blame you."

"I d-didn't mean t-t-to," he stuttered as he sniffed and let out a heartbreaking sob.

"I know you didn't mean to. You just need to relax, Edward." His breathing slowed down a bit, but his body still shook with spasms. I laid both of us on to our backs on the bed. I continued to run my fingers through his hair as I hummed him to sleep. His weeping died down and his breathing fell into a steady rhythm.

As he slept in my arms, I thought about what he said. Most kids would have beat themselves up if they were the reason for their sister's death and would blame themselves. Edward said that he accepted this burden. It wasn't his mind constantly telling himself that it was his fault and he didn't deserve to have anybody's sympathy. It was his family that dropped all the weight on him. Even though he did cause that event to happen, they blamed him and tormented his being till he got it through his head that he was worthless. They wanted to make him feel bad, but little did they know that he took a stab every time they continued to hurt him like this.

The beauty of sibling rivalry wasn't so beautiful anymore.

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**A/N: REVIEW! I wasn't particularly happy with this chapter since it seemed too dramatic, and wasn't sure if I should have stuck with my original idea that I planned to post. By the way, I got the baptizing thing from Cold Case and found out that it is a true story.  
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	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I guess I'll just put 'I don't own Twilight.' **

**Thanks for all your support and reviews.  
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**BPOV**

I don't know how many hours it was before Edward stopped crying, but it seemed like the whole world stopped when he was in my arms. He looked peaceful in his sleep and it struck a nerve in me to run my fingers through his hair. I was simply comforting him and that was that. I sighed deeply as I took his hand in mine and began to rub patterns on to his rough hand. I sung a lullaby to him that I learned from my mother that she used to sing to me as a child. This night was the longest night in my life because I couldn't go to sleep when Edward was on my mind every single second.

How could his family basically disown him like that? Didn't they have a conscience? Didn't they have a heart? If I had a son who committed a crime that he had no intention of doing, I wouldn't turn him away like a peasant at a king's door. Edward deserved so much better than that. He wasn't dangerous, nor was he a cold person. Actually, he was very half spirited, but if he had had a pleasant childhood, then he wouldn't be the way he is today.

The dawn was beginning to set in and I still couldn't find rest. I never noticed, but my cheeks were wet from the tears that I had shared with this overgrown child in my arms. He was still a child in my eyes. He never got to see the world for what it was. Even though he had to grow up a lot faster and face rejection everyday, that still did not make him his real age. When he was eight that was when his life truly stopped. He didn't seem human anymore. It was like he picked up a shell and hid in it for the rest of his time. Edward was special, but he was normal to me. If you do a survey asking people if they ever had a tragedy spring upon them in their lives, they would give you a story. So it's normal to have a tragedy because that is how the world works. No matter of how good of a person you are, you can never escape the negative conflicts of mankind.

I, however, was not one of those people who had ever had someone die in the family or whatever seems tragic to you. My life was always happy and full of bliss. I was one of those people who comforted the friend who goes through a rough time, but never experienced one myself.

His figure began to stir in my arms, and I immediately felt my face turn hot due to the fact of the position we both were laying in. His arms were secured tightly over my waist and his head was buried in the nook of my neck. My hands wound up in his tousled hair. A smile played on his lips and I wasn't sure if it was from getting all of that bottled up emotion out of him, or from his good sleep. His eyes slowly inched open and his green eyes traveled along every border of the room. Then he lifted his chin up to me and then down to his arms. He pushed himself away from me and mumbled a sorry and that told me he was embarrassed.

"Buon giorno" I said in my cheery voice trying to enlighten the mood. He stared at me in confusion.

"What does that mean?" His voice was very raspy from all his crying last night.

"It means 'good morning' in Italian. I learned it from my friend." He nodded and looked down blankly at his hands.

"Bella? Was that just a dream last night or was it real?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't tell me you still have trouble with telling dreams from reality. No, it wasn't a dream, Edward. That was all real."

"You stayed with me though."

"Yes, I stayed with you. What's the point?

"The point is that no one does that for me anymore, not even in my dreams. I mean, didn't you hear what I told you last night?"

"Yes, I heard every word of what you said to me. How could I not?"

"Then why are you here?"

"Do you want me to go?" I asked and became rather annoyed with his sudden bluntness.

"No! What I meant was that usually every person who's heard my story runs away from me. You're not running though."

"I'm not running because I'll trip and kill someone myself," I blurted out without thinking. Edward's eyes grew bigger and hard at what I said.

"Edward, I know you didn't do anything wrong. I was just joking rather stupidly when I said that. What you did was an accident and I don't blame you for that. I'm sorry about what your family has done to you too. I just can't comprehend what it must be like to always be put down."

"You don't have to comfort me. I know I'm a monster. I don't deserve to live," he mumbled. I'm not exactly the type of person to be so bold, but something in me just snapped. And I know that my next action wasn't the best, but I'm not much of a person who pities. So I slapped him. It wasn't a hard slap, but I knew it left a stinging to his face. He held up his hand to his face and looked back to me wondering why I could do such a thing.

"I would say sorry, but I'm not. First of all, you can't pity yourself, that's exactly what your family wants you to do, to drown in your low self-esteem and misery. And you need to stop thinking what they want you to think because you're not a monster. You've had a rough childhood, Edward. That's what you didn't deserve. I'll give you a slap in the face if you ever think those things again because they aren't true. And the next time I'm going to injure someone, I'll make sure that it's one your brothers. Okay, now that I think about it, I feel guilty about slapping you. I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? Is there anything I can do for you?" I said in a begging yet concerned voice as I touched his cheek. He began to laugh which made me even more concerned.

"What's so funny?"

"You are! You change your mind about almost everything. It's like you don't know whether you should buy the green shoes or the blue ones." He chuckled and I tried my best not to join in. Instead, I huffed and scowled.

"Oh, don't be mad at me. I think it's rather cute. It makes you so…Bella." I couldn't help but giggle like a schoolgirl with pigtails. He thought I was cute. That made my ego fly a little higher.

"There you go again. You go from being mad at me and then turn all giddy when I say something appealing to you." I stopped my giggling realizing he was right. I decided to take a turn on the subject. I was, however, glad that he was still smiling that damn crooked smile of his.

"Did you want to hang out at the beach today? I promise you you'll have lots of fun. Especially since it's me you'll be spending time with. How about it?" I nudged him in the ribs as he continued to grin.

"Hmm…I don't know. You might change your mind on me and I'll be stuck with myself."

"Just give me an answer before I leave and you get to miss out on the greatest opportunity you'll ever have."

"Fine, yes I'll go to the beach with you." I laughed and got up from my spot.

"Get ready and we'll leave at 10, okay?"

"Okay." I left his room and changed into a capris and a blue shirt. I could hear the whole house beginning to wake up as sounds came from the downstairs. I combed through my hair and curled the edges of it. I wanted to look my best, and this time, it wasn't because of Kasey's brainwashing, but because of Edward. But it was just a friendly hangout so it really didn't matter. Then I went downstairs to retrieve my earrings that I left on the counter.

It was a little awkward for me to see the guys because of all the new information I learned about them. A sense of hatred filled me and I knew that I had to somehow call them out on their actions towards Edward. I spotted my earrings and put them on. Adam, Emmett, and Jasper noticed me enter the kitchen.

"Good morning Bella," Adam said to me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Two words Adam. Fuck you." Then I turned to Emmett. "Three words Emmett. You're a bastard." And last but not least, Jasper. I just flipped him off and ran. Then I went to talk to Esme. Even though I felt the same hatred towards her, I toned down a bit.

"Esme? Can I come in?" I said as I knocked on her door.

"Sure Bella." I walked into her room and saw her sitting on a pad and stretching while the radio was turned on and played a soft song from instruments. Who the hell does yoga now these days?

"Um…I was wondering if I could go to the beach." With Edward I added mentally.

"Oh, of course! Do you need a car? Why don't you just take the Volvo. Oh! But could you do me a favor?" I nodded.

"Can you take the twins with you? They've been dying to go to the beach lately but the weather is never right for it. I guess since today is sunny, they'll have a good time there." I was about to say that I was meeting up with a friend, but she didn't give me a chance to answer. "Oh, thanks so much Bella! Just go ahead and tell them, but be back before dinner. And close the door behind you. Wouldn't want my yoga practice to be interrupted by that loud T.V." I did as I was told and sarcastically thanked the gods for the big screw up with our plans.

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**EPOV**

I couldn't believe that someone had finally understood me. It was an angel who was sent from the heavens to be here for me. I breathed in the scent of her that still lingered on my bed. It smelled like Windex still. Last night, I spilled out every little thing that happened to me to Bella and she didn't label me as a bad guy at all. But at one point, I did notice the way how she pulled away from me when I didn't explain myself clear enough. She let me cry on her which didn't make me look cowardly to her. That felt nice. It also felt nice to tell her about the incident. I thought it was going to be hard to tell her, but once I got going, I couldn't stop. And this morning, when I woke up in the arms of my angel, she didn't run away from me or show any signs of disgust to me. Then she slapped me when I began to pity myself. That's what I appreciated about Bella. She was so sure of herself sometimes and she didn't pity me at all. She just wanted to be of good help and a good friend. She also made me feel so sure of myself. I wasn't afraid to laugh or smile. And I surprisingly wasn't afraid to call her cute. I think she liked when I called her that because she giggled. After our giddy moments, she asked me if I wanted to go to the beach. Of course I agreed because I didn't want to miss the greatest opportunities of my life as she called it. I didn't want to see my brothers downstairs so I think I would have to climb out of the window and on to that oak tree. I've tried doing that before when ever I wanted to sneak out of the house but failed presumably. But right now, I felt like I could do anything.

I was already dressed for this afternoon and was exuberant about spending it with Bella when she walked into the room and told me that Ian and Michael were going to tag along. The excitement faded and was replaced by anxiousness. The twins were fine with me since they had no idea what happened back then, but they still kept their distance from me because the others had influenced them to do so. I still wanted to go out with Bella and enjoy my afternoon even if that meant we had to have those pranksters come.

"I'll wait for you in the garage. Are you sure you don't want to just take the stairs?"

"I'm sure."

"What if you fall?"

"Then I fall and hopefully I'll go to hell." I winked at her and climbed out of my window. Luckily, the branch was long enough for me to reach and grab hold of. I put my left foot on it as I steadied my whole body at the window sill. Then I brought my right foot on it and crouched down carefully. I took hold of the branch above me and kicked off of the one below me. My foot got caught in a group of twigs and made me lose my balance. My back hit the ground with a thud. Luckily, I landed in a pile of leaves that someone had raked earlier. I hissed as I tried to stand.

"Are you okay, Edbug?" Michael asked me as he ran towards me from the porch.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I was happy that he was still concerned about me after I yelled at him last week. Ian joined his side. Usually he sneered at me, but instead he looked at me with admiration.

"Whoa! That was awesome! Could you give me a try later? I bet I want fall," he yelled exuberantly.

"Um…sure." Just then, Bella walked out. She looked like one of those people you see in picture frames when you just bought it. I loved the way how plain she looked. It made her seem so natural and you could see the happiness running through her eyes. I guess I admired how happy she was. She never seemed to let anything faze her and I could describe her as an optimistic. I hadn't noticed that I was staring too long until she chuckled a little.

"You have leaves in your hair. Did you fall?" I was embarrassed to say yes because that took away my macho manliness.

"No, I didn't fall at all. I was just frolicking in the leaves." I picked them out of my hair one by one as she rolled her eyes and headed into the garage. Then she threw a pair of keys at me.

"It's the keys to the Volvo. Your mom gave it to me. So this is your one chance to have a little freedom. The weight of the keys felt good in my hands and my heart did little flips. I haven't driven since I got my permit. I should have been kissing Bella's feet for everything that she's done for me so far.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You are my life savior. I am in your debt and will be your personal slave forever," I said as I got into the car.

"Just shut up and drive." And that I did. We drove in silence, well unless you count the twin's loud conversations. I had a hard time focusing on the road since I was too intoxicated by Bella's very presence. When ever she heard a song that she knew on the radio, she would smile and begin to sing along and tap her fingers on the window to the rhythm. We soon arrived at the beach. It wasn't busy at all, probably because of the wind. Bella and I let Michael and Ian chase each other as we just talked.

"Why don't you jump into the ocean and swim with all the other shrimps, Michael?" Ian teased as he splashed water at him.

"I would, but I wouldn't want to take your spot." They ran up ahead which left me with Bella. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable when I was with her. We could have sat in silence and that would have made my day still. But I started asking her random questions to get to know her better. Her answers surprised me.

"What's your favorite color?" She thought for a moment before answering.

"My favorite color is clear."

"Clear?"

"You know the color of glass. I like how you can see through it easily. It's not opaque or solid, it's…clear." I just love the way how her mind works.

"Favorite mythological creature?"

"The perfect man." I raised an eyebrow at her confusingly yet again surprised. "There's no such thing as the perfect man, but that's my favorite mythological creature. He's perfect, so how could he not be my favorite?" I continued asking her things until we switched turns.

"What's you favorite memory?" she whispered. I could tell that she was afraid I might burst into tears if I tried to remember anything good. I wasn't going to though. I couldn't cry anymore if I wanted to.

"Hmm, my favorite memory would probably be at Sea World. When I was about three years old, my mother bought me a churro. When we were watching Shamu, I cheered and lifted my hands in the air and I was still holding my churro. Then a pelican flew over my head and grabbed it from me. I started crying and not even Shamu's tricks could cheer me up. Then my mother and father tried to shush me. My mom started to sing to me while my father bought me another one and a Big Stick Popsicle. They told me how much they loved me and that they would do anything for me just so I can be happy. That memory is the one that I have always remembered. When ever I think of it, it makes me smile. I would do anything to just go back to the times when I was young." She didn't ask me any personal questions anymore but we continued our game of 20 questions. Dusk set in a little too soon. The world just stops when I'm around Bella. She was like a drug to me. She made me forget all my troubles and I knew I was becoming addicted to her. A pain killer to soothe my broken heart and a soft tissue to dry my tears that still drip sore is what she was. I couldn't be too attached to her though. I knew I would kill myself if she were to ever leave me now.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or a pirate named Larry.**

**A/N: So sorry if it took me so long to get this out. Just broke my wrist and that was it. So thanks for the people who reviewed and read my story. I might be deleting chapters and fixing them up so sorry again for any inconveniences.  


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**EPOV**

For the past few weeks, everything in my life finally was filled with my happiness and joy. Bella hung out in my room when ever everybody was out or sometimes in the middle of the night. We got know each other really well. I learned how she wants to be a vet to take care of animals, hides under a table if she sees a clown anywhere, knows all the words to The Phantom of the Opera songs, had a crush on her algebra teacher in eighth grade, loves any food with mozzarella in it, bakes when she is depressed, used to have the fear of buttons when she was in middle school (Koumpounophobia), hates sleeping without music playing, and secretly thinks Zac Efron is gay.

I also figured out how her personality was. She is very selfless and compassionate. She would rather give up her own life to save someone else's. She likes to be on top of everything. Her grades must be all straight A's and her projects have to have the best appearance to it. One other thing that I noticed while she talked was that she cared about what people think of her. She cared about her reputation and tried to stay out of the limelight unless it made her look good. That's why she never sat with me at lunch or said hi to me when there were other people around. I guess that didn't make her as selfless as I thought. But I didn't care. I was willing to accept this as long as she still talked to me at night. Bella was the only one who knew the true story and had stayed my friend. I just wish she wasn't so afraid to actually hang out with me in public.

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We had two weeks off from school since Christmas was about to arrive. Honestly, I hated winter break. There was nothing to do except to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I drowned in my thoughts basically since there was nothing to focus my mind on to. My mother got into the holiday mood and decorated the house making it look bright and colorful. _Home Alone_ and _Christmas with the Kranks_ were the only shows playing on TV which really didn't make my life any easier. This was the time of the year when my family let me slide a little and expected me to join them at dinner. This was the time of year when I entered the Twilight Zone. "_You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."_ A dimension that contains cavemen who are related to me and a poor roasted pig with an apple in its mouth for Christmas Dinner. A dimension where I'd rather be the pig sitting in the middle than sitting between Goliath and a Brad Pitt wannabe.

As you can see, I will be in a crappy mood for a while. At least I had someone to endure this bitter sweet vacation with now.

I had stayed at school for a few hours for detention. I had walked home through the unbelievably cold wind whipping against my face and slippery sidewalk. I was freezing my ass off and nobody gave a damn if I died of hypothermia. Well, maybe someone did because my old silver Volvo drove passed me and stopped at a stop sign. The front door was pushed open and my savior of the day stepped out. And wouldn't you know it? My savior of the day is actually…Jasper? I started to fast walk and acted as if there wasn't a warm heated car there to pick me up.

"Aw, dude, come on! Get in the car, Edward!" I flinched at the sound of my name being called from him. My pace sped up and I didn't return my attention to him. Right when I was about to turn the corner, something smacked into my head. The weight from my backpack made me topple over. I fell on top of a football that surely was what hit me. Someone's arm caught on to mine and pulled me up. I pried away from him.

"What the hell was that for?" I spat. I brushed off the dirt of my parka as my fire lit eyes shot daggers right at him.

"Bella told me to pick you up, and she said if I don't get you home safely, she'll get a crowbar and shove it up my ass." Well since it was Bella, I would do that for her, not that I cared if a crowbar was really shoved up his hiney. Without hesitation, I got into the car and ignored Jasper as he started _my_ Volvo and drove.

"Did you know that Bella never asked me actually? I was just testing you," he said keeping his eyes on the road.

"What?"

"I knew there was something going on with you two and you just proved me right," he said with a smug grin. I shot my hand out to open the door. I was going to jump out if I had to. I would not spend another ten minutes with Jasper talking about this. However, he locked it with the kiddy lock.

"Let me out," I growled.

"No. I was wrong about you Edward. You aren't as cold as people make you as. I noticed ever since Bella came, you've been a lot more…pleasant. Your attitude seems more relaxed and calm. I actually saw you smile when she looked at you in the cafeteria. And this stuff has just made me realized something. You don't have anybody to be friends with anymore."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"And that's why I'm deciding to ask for your forgiveness. I've been a real jerk, and that's not fair to you. When I first lived with your family, I thought how nice you were. Adam and Emmett always joking around, and you would just sit in your own little corner keeping to yourself. I know that you were holding something inside because it reflects in your eyes. I thought that I could handle whatever was bothering you, but I was wrong. Adam told me everything and I truly did think the worst of you. But now, when I think about it, I've never heard your side of the story. What is going on in little Edward's head? What is going on with that quiet boy who doesn't talk or cry? What happened to him to make him that way?"

"Why are you telling me this right now?"

"Because I thought that you had an attitude problem. But that's just because you've been alone for so long. So will you forgive me?"

"The weak can never forgive, Jasper," I whispered quietly.

"But you forget, Edward. You're not weak." We were home already. He was watching my every move and I was feeling really anxious right now.

"I'm not one to hold grudges, Jasper," and with that, I left.

I was ready to take a good nap, but something stopped me.

Bella was perched on my bed silently thinking to herself. She held a text book on her lap with a piece of lined paper on top of it. She tapped her pen and looked around the room. Her mouth twisted into a grimace as she sighed deeply.

"Trouble with homework?" She nodded and began writing something down. She stopped and slammed her hand to her forehead and let out a frustrated groan. Then she began scribbling out whatever she was writing. I didn't like seeing her mad even though it was amusing, so I decided to see if I could help.

"What is your assignment about?"

"My retarded Spanish teacher is getting married next month. He's making us write wedding vows since his peanut-sized brain is not capable of expressing emotion itself. He's gonna pick the best vows and give that student an A. Then the rest of the class is going to be given a B. I don't know if he's joking or if he truly does like to see us stress and suffer about this. I mean, it's not even Spanish related! I have to get this A though. I'm a perfect high honor's student and not once have I gotten a B on anything. Not even in kindergarten or summer school. I swear, I will key that pretty BMW of his if he does give me a B. I will not hesitate to _accidentally_ spill coffee on his laptop. And I will not be afraid to tell the whole world of what a freaking creep and pedophile he is!"

I have to admit, she was being a prissy pants for actually caring about this. But I understood that Alderson was indeed a creep. "Screw it and let's go to the park," is what I would have told her if she didn't have her panties in such a twist.

"You just have to write about something that inspires you I guess."

"Something that inspires me? Trust me when I say this, Bella Swan only inspires herself."

"Conceited, are we?" I joked with an impish grin. She smacked my shoulder and muttered a shut up.

"If you're just going to be annoying then I'm going to leave." She began packing her things up. That made me shut up and pulled her down back to my side next to me, begging her to stay with me. I knew the effect I had on her and worked it to my advantage.

"Okay, I'll help you." I stroked my chin, pretending to think really hard. Inspiration…what is something that inspires me? I could feel Bella's eyes on me. I gazed into her brown orbs for a second and finally found my inspiration. I took a deep breath and blurted out whatever was on my mind.

"When I look into your beautiful eyes, the whole world seems to stop. Every second that I spend with you is something that I will never take for granted for it is something treasurable that money cannot buy. When you smile, you can light up the whole room and my world. My whole world revolves around you because you are my world. I can't bear to imagine myself without you and I am willing to follow you anywhere you go. Whether it's to the deepest pits of hell or whether it's to your parent's house. You are the other half that makes me whole and brings the best out of me. I will be the happiest man on earth when I claim you as my own. I shall savor every kiss, every touch that we share. My love for you is wider than any ocean, steeper than any mountain, and deeper than any volcano. If you promise to love me forever, than I will promise to never let go of your hand among the bumpy and smooth roads of our lives. Forever and for always shall I love you."

I noticed how I started leaning closer to Bella's face. Her eyes twinkled and held great admiration for me. Just as I was about to close the distance between us and hold her lips to mine, she pulled back.

"Wow…that was really good. That will surely get me an A now. How did the beginning go again? Something about beautiful eyes?" Her voice suddenly dropped me back to reality. I don't think she was aware of what I was going to do.

"Yeah," I breathed. I watched her write that down. Waves of unknown feelings crashed down on me as I studied every feature of her face and every line of her petite body. Everything I just said was an explosion of something that I was actually feeling, but constantly kept denying. Who knew a cold, dead heart could feel _love_?

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**A/N: Really cheesy chapter! So far, the highest reviews I have ever gotten was 29 reviews for a chapter. Do you think i can get about 50 this time? =]**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

**I apologize for not updating sooner. I just got my Spring break so now I have all the jolly leisure time I want for the week. This chapter is short because I needed Bella's input and then I got a writer's block after I finished writing her POV. And a lot of people said this story is sad. I was hoping to go for humorous and save all my tragic ideas for my other story.  


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Everything went smoothly after our little friendly date at the beach. Edward wasn't afraid to tell me any of his secrets and thoughts anymore. Ever since he poured out his soul to me, his moodiness had faded and been replaced by pure happiness, I think.

I had accomplished my goal which was to get passed Edward's guarded shield. Not only did I achieve that, but I had made his life more enjoyable. I can see it in his eyes. They are much brighter and filled with light.

I spent most of my time with him when ever I got the chance to. I snuck into his room at night and after school, we hung out at a secluded park. I didn't know how to speak to Adam, Emmett, and Jasper without feeling hostile, so I constantly avoided them.

At school, I usually hung out with Alice, Rosalie, and Angela. Rosalie seemed so heart broken about something and flinched when ever the Lauren, Jessica, and Tanya were mentioned. Hmm, another guarded shield that I must get passed again. When I ate lunch with them, I always watched Edward from afar. That sounded stalkerish, but I was too afraid to go up to him. I didn't know if he would get angry at me if I were to go sit with him and draw attention to us. I didn't want him to get tired of me and think of me as a nuisance either. I wanted him to be comfortable with me being around him, but I'm not sure if he even liked hanging around with me sometimes. He always gave me this look. I can't quite explain it, but it was just one of those expressions that makes you feel so insecure.

For instance, I needed help with my homework. I needed wedding vows for my freaky Spanish teacher. Edward told me to look for inspiration. His eyes looked intensely into mine. I felt nervous by those green gems so I decided to joke around by saying I was my own inspiration. It was a stupid comment, but I wanted to make him think I wasn't intimidated by him. It seemed to work because he called me conceited.

Honestly, I wasn't being myself around him. I was acting like Kasey, and everybody back in Arizona loved her there. While she was Miss Popular, I was known as her nice and smarticle best friend. I didn't mind that at all because I hate attention, but I wanted Edward's. I enjoyed when we talked and the night became my favorite part of the day.

Well anyway, after he gave me an example, which was amazing by the way, he looked at me as if I had a second head. His eyes were so hypnotic, I couldn't remove mine from them. I wondered if there was something on my face. I fell down flat on my face today so maybe there was a smudge of dirt on my cheek or something. And while I worried about dirt being on me, I noticed how close he was. Right then and there, I wanted to kiss the living daylights out of him and make out like crazy. Just a little taste of what it would be like to be really, really, really close to him. But of course, that would totally freak him out.

I conquered over my hormonal instincts and forced myself to pull away. I don't know if he realized how close I was to doing that and I hope he didn't. I liked him as a friend, but I was physically attracted to him. I mean, who wouldn't be when he had the face of an angel, perfect sculpted muscles, and a nice, tone butt? If I wanted to, I would have asked him if friends with benefits would be okay with him. Yep, I would do that with him, but I knew we both were too good and smarter than that. I also knew the inevitable.

Girl and Boy are best friends. Girl and Boy are too scared to be in a serious relationship with the opposite sex. Girl and Boy are only comfortable with each other. Girl and Boy fool around together. In the end, either the Girl or Boy end up falling in love with one another, but the other one falls for someone else and does not return the feelings. Or maybe the Girl gets impregnated and the little, innocent spawn forces the foolish friends to tie the knot when they hate each other's guts. Or maybe someone finds out about their secret and blabs it to the school. Then everybody calls the Girl a slut and the Boy a man whore.

Sheesh, my daddy told me too many stories. I think I'll just keep to myself for now. But a little fantasizing won't hurt anyone.

_Edward comes home after a surprising hot day in Forks. I sit on his bed as he rants how hot he is. You sure are hot is what I think silently to myself. Then he takes off his shirt and shows off his amazing toned abs. A thin layer of sweat covers his entire skin. His chest heaves up and down as he breathes heavily. He licks his lips as he stares down at me and flashes his crooked grin that sends my heart speeding. I smile back and he walks toward me as my body begins to overheat with new needs that I never knew I had. He props himself up against me and brushes my arm with his long fingers. Without hesitation, he begins to place suave, wet kisses across my neck and shoulders. And then he-_

Oh god, I'm such a perv.

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**It's very hard for me to write intimate thoughts since I'm not really into all that _you know_ so I might be rough on the edges. Please Review and I give you permission to make fun of this chapter. **

**:-D  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own Twilight. April Fools! Oh wait, it already passed. Nevermind then.**

**Thanks for the review guys! Sorry for the wait.  
**

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"Is everything alright, Bella?" Alice's voice pulled me out of my head. I blinked my dry eyes and glanced at my surroundings. I was in the lunchroom, but had no idea how I even got here. Last time I remembered, I was on a deserted island with Edward and we were doing-oh! Don't tell me that I gone overboard with my daydreams again. The way Edward and I were together in my fantasies seemed so real and perfect. My heart ached at the lost of his imaginary touch.

"She's zoning out again. Someone throw a French fry at her. It's starting to scare me," Rosalie spoke in her superior voice. Alice then stole a fry from Angela's tray and flung it in the middle between my eyes. Its greasy surface trickled down my nose.

"What was that for," I asked as I wiped it off with a napkin.

"Bella, darling, if you want to sit with us you have to abstain from acting peculiar. That's Angela's job," Rosalie explained.

Angela frowned and muttered," Gee, thanks," sarcastically.

"Don't worry dear, that's why you have me to advise you. Otherwise you would be dressed with baggy jeans and plain t-shirts. And so far, your attire is meliorating. Where'd you get your shirt? It's aesthetic."

Rosalie was nice but treated Angela as if she was some sort of loser who needed fixing in order to turn into prom queen material. And even though Rosalie's beauty blinded your eyes and angels started singing from the heavens when she walked into the room, her mind was intelligently sophisticated. She was brought up by her rich aunt who was strict yet a sweet lady. That explains the way she talks. I'm surprised Emmett even understands her since he didn't even know how to spell Washington.

As Rosalie critiqued Angela on how to sit up properly and eat a sandwich with pinkies up, Alice turned her body towards me and began talking.

"So, what were you just thinking about to make you blank out like that? Or better yet, who were you just fucking in your head?" She raised her eyebrows expectantly. I grimaced at how her tinkling voice said that. _I think I'll just play dumb…_

"What are you talking about? That's just gross," my voice cracked as I said that since obviously I didn't find it gross.

"You're a horrible actress, you know. Any movie you make, I'd invest my money in tomatoes and throw them at your face," she teased and threw another fry at me.

"Stop that! You can't read minds so how do you know what I'm thinking for sure?"

"You can't read minds either, so how do you know that_ I_ can't read minds?" Okay…she says she's psychic, and then now she says she's a mind reader! She laughed and said," I'm just screwing with you. Well, I know you're thinking about a guy because you have this dreamy, far-off look. Or are you thinking about a girl? Is there something you're not telling me, Bella?" I pursed my lips together and gave her my evil eye. "Okay, just making sure. So you wore this expression that I always have after me and Jazzy go into the janitor's closet and-"

"Alice! Don't. Wanna. Know!" my voice filled with exasperation.

"Hehe, I'm sorry, but it's just fun watching how red your cheeks get when you're embarrassed. But really, who's clouding your mind?"

"Not telling. My lips are sealed."

"In that case, I guess I'm going to have to get my crowbar and open them up for you. Wait…no, that's actually a little violent for my taste. I could always get Jasper to spy on you since you live with him." Her facial expression showed that she was dead serious. That would mean no more late nights with Edward. Alice saw the panic swept across me and smirked.

"It's one of the Cullens, isn't it? Gabriel's with me and Emmett is dating Rosalie. So that means it's either Adam or Edward, but surely it must be Adam, right?" I denied it with my eyes. She gasped. "Omigod! Are you freaking serious? You like Edward? He's jalapeno hot, but have you even heard what he did when he was little?"

"Yes, I have heard. But that was when he was _little_, not when he actually had common sense. So don't dare judge him. You have no idea what he's been through and you can't just expect that those rumors are even half true. He's a human being. He has feelings and I was totally doing him in my head because yes. Yes, I do like him and I might even like,_ like_ him." I bit my tongue as I realized that I'd given too much information.

Instead of Alice being motherly and saying he's no good for me, she squealed and hugged me.

"I am so happy for you! And you're right; I shouldn't listen to what others say about him. But he isn't someone you should be with if you don't want rumors about you too."

"I know, but I don't really give a damn anymore. I hate school. Stupid cliques and people, always watching every move you make and call you out if you do one tiny thing wrong. Why does it always feel like the world is out to get you?"

Alice ignored that comment and stood up from the table. "Come on. Time to get to class." We walked through the student filled hallways.

"Does Edward like you back?"

"Um…I don't really know. He's nice to me but that's just because I'm his only friend."

Alice's face was suddenly calculating something. Leave it to her to do something extremely crazy just to get more input.

"Whatever you're planning, Alice, don't. I'll just dwell in the unknown for now." She just smiled and walked off in the other direction.

I sighed. Great. Now Alice knows. I hope others weren't as perceptive as her.

I headed toward my biology class, dreading to be in the presence of Leah. As I got into the room, she was already seated at our table. She saw me and waved happily. I put on my fake grin and waved back.

"Hey Bella! Let's start on our project now." She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me down to my chair. "Oooh, your hands are so soft! Have I ever told you that?" _Yeah, like five trillion times. Have I ever told you that it's not normal to touch people's hands?_ "Your hair smells like strawberries again too!"

"Yeah, Leah. It does smell like strawberries." If I stop showering, would she stop sniffing my hair like some sort of dog?"

We got to work and I listened to her little rant about how her P.E. shorts magically disappeared from the washing machine. Even though Leah was weird, she was very entertaining and we actually have become good friends. Sometimes though, I just want to tie her hands to her sides and stick plugs up her nose.

After the period was over, I went to the gym. Turned out a freshman stabbed Coach Clapp's butt with an arrow while doing archery, so my class had one hour of free time. I thanked the lord for giving that freshman bad aiming skills. Since I still rode with the guys home, I sat under a shaded tree and read a book, waiting for school to end. Alice suddenly appeared by my side.

"Yo yo! What's up, sister from another mister?" I snorted because she tried to sound buff.

"Not much, _homie._ Just glad that we don't have P.E."

"Yes, so am I because I have a surprise for you and I couldn't wait to tell you!" She popped open her pink school bag and shuffled through books and paper. "Aha! Here it is. Look what I got!" She held up a black notebook in her Thumbelina hands.

"A…notebook. Wow, Alice. You've really outdone yourself. Do you have a pencil to go with that?" I said as I looked up at her as she towered over me. She smacked my head and pouted.

"You should be thanking me for this, not making fun of me. It's not just a notebook, it's _his_ notebook." My jaw dropped and I quickly grabbed it out of her hands.

"What! Alice, you shouldn't steal other people's property. It's wrong and that's a very big no, no."

"But Bella, you seriously need to take a look at what he wrote in here." Her butt plopped next to the spot beside me. The courtyard was full of busybodies today since the rain finally said mercy and the sun stepped out of hiding and into the sky. Alice placed the black spiral notebook in front of me. She began flipping pages with his neat calligraphy writing on it. Some pages held notes or problems while others had doodles.

"Here it is!" Alice stopped at a page. On it, there was black ink scribbled around everywhere. Little blue ink lightning bolts circled around letters in the middle:

**E.C. + B.S. =3(Heart)  
**

I inhaled sharply as my vision was focused on that. I think I just died and went to heaven.

"Alice?"

"Hm?"

"Don't girls only do these kind of things. I mean, lightning bolts don't exactly make it manly."

"Oh, who cares! I think this adorable. Look, he even wrote poems about you. You do know what this means, right?" I shook my head no. "This is the part where you start sending him signals. You have to be flirty and bat your eyes at him. Do something to tell him you are interested in him."

"Why don't I just ask him out?"

"Because, that's his job. Girls shouldn't be the ones to make the first move. Plus, it's more fun this way. Do you own a mini skirt?"

"No, Why?"

"You're gonna have to show off some of those legs if you expect him to fantasize about you too."

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**Next chapter, Bella terrorizes Edward! And if I get a lot of reviews, I might either post an outtake or send one to you. I 'm also looking for a Beta. Anyone interested?**


	15. Chapter 15

**I am so so so sorry about how long this took. On my profile, it says the reasons why I haven't been writing if you're wondering.  
**

**Special thanks to my new and wonderful Beta Trio:**

_**Angels of Twilight**_

_**Jessica Marie Cullen**_

_**ilheartedward**_

**You guys are awesome! And also, thanks for the people who asked if I needed one.  
**

EPOV

Mondays are officially the worst days of my life. And why is that? Well, I made a list:

1. I had to wake up early after a restless night for school.

2. No more vacation days.

3. Adam spilled his germ-infested water on my pants, so now it looks like I pissed myself.

4. I forgot to do my winter break homework. More like, I didn't _feel_ like doing it.

5. I had an unpleasant Christmas, like always.

6. I accidentally shot Coach in the butt. I actually kind of enjoyed it, but I have to spend a detention with him after he gets back from the emergency room.

7. A girl talked to me, and I think it was for a dare.

8. Either my notebook got stolen, or I misplaced it.

9. Since I had no notes, I definitely failed my test. Not like I cared anyway.

10. And the girl I am completely obsessed with is only my friend. _FRIEND_. There's something wrong with that sentence.

Number ten on my list, in fact, bothers me everyday, but my mind is equipped to block out this mushy feeling. If there was a solution to stop falling in love with a person completely, then I would have Googled it. It's the worst sensation in the world, no offense to all those wieners who think it's the best. Nothing good comes from it, and it just holds you back. It's like sinking in quick sand. Once you get in, you can't get out. It suffocates you and makes sure it squeezes your heart to pulp before it releases you. And then you die. But death is the best part of it, so I guess it's not all that bad.

Why do girls have to be so pretty? That's the biggest factor as to why we guys fall under their spells. It's because they either have a nice face or they have big tits. That's the thing we'll notice first (if that's not true for you, it must mean you're gay). Then their little quirky attitude adds a nice effect to them too.

Oh, well. At least I am one of the few to actually experience it instead of faking it to get "_the key into the lock"_, if you know what I mean.

"Edward!" Bella's awed beauty stepped into my periphery vision. She bit her lip, which meant she was nervous. My resolution to thinking all women were evil sorceresses faded away as she placed her hand on my shoulder to stop me from walking. She's never made direct contact with me since that night, so I was baffled for a moment.

"Nice weather we're having, heh? It's almost as nice as your hair. What do you do to it, anyway? It's always so wild and untamed." Was it just my imagination, or did she just purr that last part out?

Before I could tell what was happening, Bella ran her tiny hand through my locks. She massaged my head with her fingers. I had to keep my eyes from closing and also from letting out a moan. Then she dropped her hand and I had stop myself from asking her to do it again.

"Wow! For a second I thought you used gel, but your hair is unbelievably soft. I wonder what else is soft…or hard." Her pink lips twitched as she glanced down and then back up at me. I processed her comment, realizing it had a double meaning.

I heard laughter from behind me and I jerked my head around to see a short midget girl passing by. It was the same girl who talked to me today. She was the one who asked me a random question during English and acted so strangely…

_Flashback_

I was sitting in the back of my English classroom minding my own business when this elfin girl with black hacked up hair sat next to me. I thought she was just sitting there for privacy away from the teacher, but she angled her body towards mine and said," If you suddenly found yourself turned into a woman, how would you spend your day?"

I raised my eyebrows and wondered if she had a tape recorder on her to get my answer and share it with all her friends to make fun of me. But I wasn't supposed to care what people thought of me, so I responded anyway.

"Would my thoughts suddenly turn girly? Or would I still have the thoughts of a guy?"

"Hmm…good question…I suppose you can still have the thoughts of a guy," she said stroking her chin, pretending to think really hard.

"Then I would stare at my reflection in the mirror all day…Naked."

She rolled her eyes and said, "That's so typical and disgus—hey! What's that?" She pointed a finger towards the window and I followed its direction. I studied the empty courtyard for a second, not finding anything wrong.

"I don't see anything…" I shrugged and turned back to her.

"Oh. For a second I thought I saw something. Never mind then. Forget I said anything." Then she returned her attention to the teacher who kept hitting the board with a ruler and yelling how colleges will never accept you if you don't know the difference between a verb and an adverb.

This girl's peculiar question and jumpy behavior puzzled me and I wondered if she talked to me for a dare, or to make me sound like an idiot.

_End of flashback_

"Oh, hey, Alice!"

"Hey, Edward! Hey, I know you. You're from my English class and we talked for a minute. I think you dropped your notebook when you left the classroom 'cause I found this with your name." She handed me my notes.

"Thanks." I took it and placed it in my backpack. I wondered if Bella told Alice about us since she was being so nice to me.

"Well, I better get going. I have to get to the mall before my boss fires me. Gosh, she is such a sourpuss. I sold the most Smooth Away Hair Removals and you think she'd cut me some slack…Hey, did you guys need a ride to the mall or anything? I noticed you guys don't really like Adam or Emmett, so maybe you'd like to get out of the house for once."

When I was going to say I'd rather kill time in my safe and cozy room, Bella smiled sweetly at me and exclaimed, "That would be a great idea, wouldn't it Edward?"

_No! It's a terrible idea!_ "Yeah," I lied.

"We're always cooped up in your room and then your brothers are always so nosey, so I think it would be nice to hang out at the mall. But we'll need a ride home. What time do you get off, Alice?"

"I get off at 5:30."

"Your mom and dad gets home a little bit later, and the others think you have detention, so it all works out."

"Oh, and I told Jasper that you're going to the mall with me, Bella," Alice added in.

"How do you know Jasper?" I asked. Jasper always acknowledged me now, but never really gave me any details about how his day went.

"Jasper didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Well, I'm the one who he's making sweet babies with in the future," she claimed, with a serious expression on her face.

"Okay…that's nice to know," I snickered.

"Yes it is and don't you forget it! Now, come along children. You just made me five minutes late for work." We followed Alice to her car, and _boy_, what an amazing car she has. It was fast, and that's how I like it. If I wasn't in love with Bella and had my Volvo in chains, I would have married her car. But what bothered me was the color. It reminded me of bees and pee. Who buys yellow vehicles? Apparently, Jasper's girlfriend does.

Alice walked with us into the entrance before leaving to go to her kiosk. I was finally alone with Bella, and I was a little nervous to be hanging out with her since this felt like a date.

We didn't actually shop, just looked around. We tried on sunglasses together and visited the record shops. I showed her some of my favorite artists, and she showed me hers. She then tore me away from the rows of albums and dragged me to the bookstore. She showed me her favorite books and I told her that the last book I read, _Romeo and Juliet,_ got set on fire at the park. She hit my shoulder pretty hard and scolded me, then gave me this whole lesson on William Shakespeare having an insightful mind on love.

"But who does that? 'Oh, since my beloved has died, I guess I shall just stab myself with this knife that I found, because my life is so pathetic without my other half and I'm a complete hussy to not appreciate life,'" I joked as we walked through the isles.

"Shut up. You're missing the whole moral and meaning to it!"

"No, I totally understand what Shakespeare is trying to say to us."

"You do?" she asked, unconvinced.

"Yes, I do. If someone I love dies, then I'll just pop a few pills into my mouth and hope the world drowns in fire," I said with a shrug.

She laughed and said, "You're stupid," and we carried on with our whole game of teasing and flirting. The best thing about being with Melody is that she made me feel playful and special. When we talked, I enjoyed it, and when we would sit together in silence, it was golden. I got the best of both worlds and that made me happier than ever.

After our browsing, we ate at KiwiFrost, a frozen yogurt place.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure. What?" She took her spoon out of her mouth slowly and gazed at me with her complete attention. It was intimidating when she looked at me like that, and I felt the need to crack a joke to loosen the strange tension in the air around us.

"What brought all this on?"

"What do you mean?" The tone sounded all too sweet. She was definitely up to something.

"Well, let's see." I leaned closer to her and crossed my arms on the table. "You just molested my head in front of other people, I sense something extremely wrong with that Alice midget, and now you went out to the mall with me." _Does that make it a date?_ I wanted to ask her, but cut off my interrogation there.

Bella looked like a deer caught in headlights. A very cute deer I must mention, too. When I thought she was going to tell me what was up with her, she managed to sneak her way out of confession time.

"Why would I not want to be here with you? You're perfect and a really sweet person. I love hanging out with you, and I bet you're tired of trying to be secretive all the time. What I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't have to hide anything from your family, or the people at school. I've made a mistake to think it would be better for you to not make everyone see that you're capable of having a girlfriend—I mean…girl as a f-friend, you know…" she trailed off. She muttered something under her breath and began blushing.

Instead of calling her out on her friend wording mishap, I had to be stupid and agree with her that it would be great to show off our "friendship." To avoid awkwardness, I changed the subject and asked her how her day went.

"It was fine. How was yours?"

"Eh, the usual. Crappy."

"Aww, I wish I was in your classes so I could make you happy."

"Yeah, me too," I whispered wistfully.

"What made it so crappy?"

"My brothers are jerks and I lost my notebook," I answered nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, as though she was the reason for my brothers being jerks and for me losing my notebook.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong. Even though I could have aced my test today if I had my notes, I don't mind." She nodded her head silently as she scraped the sides of her cup loudly with her pink plastic spoon and switched positions in her chair.

We talked for a little bit, like we did at the beach. Getting to know little quirks about each other and trying to convey what's going in each other's head. Finally, we got to a personal topic.

"First date."

"Hmm…I believe I was in seventh grade." Her eyes widened at my young age. "Before my reputation was ruined."

"Was she pretty?"

"The girl? She had a nice figure to all us boys, but now that I think about it, she was bit on the hoochy side. I don't know what possessed me to go out with her. I guess it's because the people in my middle school expected us to."

"Where'd you guys go?"

"We went to McDonald's because that was the only thing I could afford, and it was a short distance away from our school. We hardly talked and it was unnerving, so we agreed to call it quits."

"Well, that's good. You both went with what you felt. Plus, I think you were too young to date at that time. Kids these days," she growled, "thinking they're so cool when they have a boyfriend or girlfriend at age 12." I laughed and felt embarrassed for going out at age 12.

"Yeah…how about you? Did you ever go on a date?" _I hope not._

"Hehe," she giggled nervously, "that's something I'll never share."

"I told you mine," I whined.

"You didn't have to tell me if you were too embarrassed, but you did." This girl is stubborn.

"Please? For me?" I stared at her intently. For some reason, she looked dizzy and had a far away look in her eyes.

"So are you going to tell me or stare at me all day?"

"Er…what?" she stuttered.

"Your first date?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I kind of got sidetracked there. Eee…well, my best friend set me up on a blind date last year with her cousin because she was hoping that we could go to Homecoming with each other. It turned out he really was a blind person."

"So let me get this straight. He was a _blind_ blind date?" I mocked. I felt a sense of relief that it wasn't a hot shot jock with appealing looks and charms.

"Correct."

"So it didn't work out because you're stereotyped and have a problem against blind people?" I teased playfully.

"No! I don't have a problem with blind people. It's just…he kept stumbling a lot, more than I do. Then he would always reach out to grab something, and that's where my Gazonkas came in." She shivered at the memory.

"Gazonkas?"

"Ugh, don't make me say it." Her face turned red as she waited for me to take a guess.

"I have no idea what those are." Was that some kind of foreign word they used in Spanish?

"My boobs, Edward." If it was even possible, her cheeks turned to the color of her pink sweater.

"Oh! So that's wha—wait! He touched you?" Sudden anger boiled to the top of my head as I pictured Bella being groped by a blind, perverted person.

"Cool your jets, Edward. Kasey took care of him, so there's no reason to be on the warpath now." I unclenched my jaw and loosened my fists.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want anyone taking advantage of you, Bella. Even me, if I ever do."

"Thanks, Edward. You're always looking out for me."

"Yeah, what are friends for?" I squeaked and frowned. Then, she placed her hand on my knee. It startled me for a second, but then I began to bask in this moment.

_I love you Bella_, I thought in my head.

Suddenly there was a gasp.

"What did you say?"

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**How cheesy can this get? :D Review!!!**


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